


Of the Sky, From the Sky, For the Sky

by Finksalion



Category: Final Fantasy XIV
Genre: Also Thancred/Finks smut in Ch 16, Also stealth edits are going to be a thing, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Blood and Violence, Check chapter summaries for CWs, Cyberpunk FFXIV Setting, Explicit Language, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Kidnapping + Mentions of mutilation in Ch. 13 + 14, Memories of murder + family death + slavery in Ch. 20, Prosthesis
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-08
Updated: 2021-03-05
Packaged: 2021-03-08 20:23:05
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 29
Words: 86,376
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27442615
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Finksalion/pseuds/Finksalion
Summary: "Welcome to Neo-Ishgard, shining jewel of Coerthas and technological marvel of Eorzea. This is the place where anyone who is anyone wants to be. It’s what dragged you to our expensive, neon coloured, aetherdream-filled, technological doorstep right?"So this is my take on what if FFXIV were set in a cyberpunk dystopian future, expect to find familiar names in very unfamiliar settings, and note that this will involve explicit sex and some graphic violence on occasion. I will try to CW chapters where it may be necessary and otherwise please enjoy my weird random smooshing of two of my favourite genres... Let the experimentations begin! <3
Relationships: Aymeric de Borel/Warrior of Light
Comments: 202
Kudos: 62





	1. A Warm Welcome?

**Author's Note:**

> As always, thanks to the amazing folks down below for helping with inspiration for this idea - you're all awesome amazing people!
> 
> Psst... hey you, yeah you... wanna join an amazing server full of inspiring and enabling peeps? Then come join us at [Emet-Selch's Wholesomely Debauched and Enabling Book Club](https://discord.gg/jcgKuYs)
> 
> Hey! Also, so... err... if you're interested in possibly, potentially, peripherally reading any of my original work then you can find it [here](https://www.wattpad.com/user/Finksalion). Thank you for your support! <3

Welcome to Neo-Ishgard, shining jewel of Coerthas and technological marvel of Eorzea. This is the place where anyone who is anyone wants to be. It’s what dragged you to our expensive, neon coloured, aetherdream-filled, technological doorstep right? They say you can see this glinting spectacle from the rolling fields of La Noscea, and honestly they’re probably not wrong. The sheer verticality of this city is a wonder to behold with hundreds, nay thousands of floating walkways and paths linking shimmering glass buildings to one another, interspersed with the odd large plaza surrounded by digital billboards and holographics advertising everything and anything you could ever want, and many things you probably didn’t even know you needed. This is a city that never sleeps, cold skysteel and glass lit by the glaring sun bouncing off snow and glass with dizzying effect during the day and equally showered with bright neon in the night, humming with life and power and constant activity as flying vehicles of all kinds flow around the behemoth-like skyscrapers like the electricity in the circuit boards that power this city.

Other cities sprawl outwards, but Neo-Ishgard challenges the very mountains for dominance – this is a city that grows upwards, thrusting into the sky, demanding attention from the heaven itself. And so it is that the higher up you find yourself in this vertically sprawling city, the more important you must be, which may go some way to explaining why the highest building by far in Neo-Ishgard is the aptly named Mega-Corporation HeavensWard. Looming above all others in this city where the amount of gil you own dictates how much power you have, you could say that HeavensWard is the de-facto ruler, if such a concept even exists in the cut-throat free for all economy that has replaced any sane method of leadership in Neo-Ishgard. Given that they own most of the advertising space that proliferates across this city, it’s no surprise then that the surprisingly healthy-looking Octogenarian CEO of HeavensWard, Thordan, appears on most of them – dressed as always in a sharp white suit and espousing the virtues of the latest HALONE-tech item to hit the markets. It’s also no surprise that he is almost worshipped for the power he holds over each and every person living in Neo-Ishgard, and some would say with good reason too, given the spread of HALONE-tech across Eorzea.

If truth is to be told, there’s not a single area of Neo-Ishgard not touched by HeavensWard HALONE-tech. The majority of computing operating systems run off the all-encompassing AI-controlled operating system HALONE; the golden standard of enhancements and implants are all created by HeavensWard with HALONE as its base operating system, and they are the largest single supplier of government-issued technology – from the security barriers that separate the disparate tiers of the city, to the ident-guns and filament blades provided to the government peacekeeping forces – the Knights – to give them their proper name, to the databases and systems that run in the background, providing constant checks and balances on the people that inhabit this sprawling metropolis. That and so much more; all using HALONE-tech and all creating rivulets of gil flowing into HeavensWard’s pockets. It’s no wonder really that the tier they live and work in – the highest and most restricted zone of Neo-Ishgard, is called the Vault.

Of course, other rival Mega-Corporations exist, and the area immediately underneath the Vault is where the Pillars reside, home to maybe slightly more accessible Mega-Corporations and businesses. Layers upon layers of rich living and working above and around each other in glinting monuments to skysteel and crystal and glass, separated by large tree-lined walkways that shine in the sun that reflects off these tall structures, gleaming effigies of the power this city holds dear. This area of Neo-Ishgard is beautiful, stunning, and above all, cut-throat. I’d advise you to ensure that if you do find yourself here that you better make sure you’re supposed to be here; security is tight and retribution swift for those that can’t prove they belong.

The Pillars is where the four lesser Mega-Corporations of Neo-Ishgard sit, vying for second place in a city where technological and military might is king. Undoubtedly in the lead after HeavensWard is Dzemael Applied Sciences, with fingers in almost as many pies as HeavensWard, but without the technical wizardry and know-how shown by their less well-off but invariably higher quality rivals, Haillenarte Manufactories. The rivalry between these two is fierce, and while Haillenarte Manufactories may not have the money or power of Dzemael Applied Sciences, they are able at least to stay afloat with the unwavering support of the third Mega-Corporation, Fortemps Industries. Known for its revolutionary hard-light shields – a cutting edge technology – Fortemps Industries is known for its kindness and heart alongside Haillenarte Manufactories, which some would consider their biggest weaknesses. Yet here they stand, still in the Pillars after all of these years, their morals at least mostly intact even with the corruption and deceit that simmers under the surface of Neo-Ishgard; it seems that miracles can happen in this city after all. The last Mega-Corporation, staunch allies of Dzemael Applied Sciences, is Durendaire Military Enterprises. They may not be technologically minded like the other three, but what they lack in brains they have in spades in their pure viciousness and military firepower. They often hold the private security contracts for Dzemael Applied Sciences as well as anywhere else that professional soldiers with no morals – some would say killers, really – are required.

Also in the Pillars lie the headquarters to the other three main Mega-Corporations of Eorzea; here, for example, resides the main embassy of Maelstrom Enterprises, providing their vast expertise in airships and travel to Neo-Ishgard, involved in every aspect of importing and exporting goods to other far flung destinations of Eorzea, and providing the main ingress into the city – unless you count crawling in from the bottom. Immortal Flames Solutions also hold an embassy here, fulfilling discrete private military contracts to those corporations unable to fund their own private security – or unable to afford Durendaire Military Enterprises – the Immortal Flames are at least a touch less expensive but maybe a touch less vicious.

And then there’s the Twin Adder Pharmaceuticals, first and foremost providing high quality private medical treatment to any and all who require it – as long as you have the coin. That being said, Twin Adder Pharmaceuticals also has smaller, maybe slightly lesser well-stocked clinics across the Foundation in Neo-Ishgard, where you can be treated for filament blade cuts or bullet wounds for a smaller price, and with no questions asked. Given the sounds of a continuous war zone that emanate from the Brume on some nights, it’s murmured that Twin Adder Pharmaceuticals probably make more money from their emergency clinics than they do for the high end HeavensWard implants and enhancements after-care. The murmurs are probably not true, but maybe not so far off as people might imagine.

At the centre of the Pillars lies the shining retail district of the Jewelled Crozier, foremost entertainment location in all of Eorzea – bar perhaps the Gold Saucer. It’s said that if you can’t find what you want in the Crozier, then you probably shouldn’t really want it in the first place. The whole district is surrounded by stunning artificially created and maintained greenery, parks that you could get lost in for days if you really wanted to and whole rivers that bubble up over the edges of the buildings, creating glittering waterfalls that fall thousands of yalms to the artificial lakes formed far below the city. In amongst this lush greenery lies the sprawlingly decadent marketplace, the sunlight glinting off the golden canopy that delicately protects the shoppers from the elements as they peruse the thousands of shops and stalls and restaurants that makes up this district.

And now, travelling lower through the city, we found ourselves in the Foundation, where the city loses a touch of its shining brilliance, where the scratches on the glass begin to surface and the grit underfoot is not so easy to ignore. Here is where that sharp divide between rich and poor starts to raise its ugly head, and here is where the more mundane businesses and corporations thrive, and where the majority of Neo-Ishgardian inhabitants find themselves, whether they want to or not. And most don’t want to find themselves here, if we’re to be totally honest. There’s a constant push and pull between the Pillars and the Foundations as the ones in the grey divide between these two tiers fight for their place in the shining upper city, climbing up and over each other – always straining to the dizzying heights that the Pillars can offer, no matter who they have to tear down to get where they believe they should be. If the world of the Pillars is cut-throat politics and business, down here it can be positively vicious.

The stratifications of the city continues in earnest even here, with the more respectable – if a little mundane – businesses just this side of Foundation in areas such as The Twin Forums, or the slightly less high-class drinking establishments of the Dragonhead District. These are areas respectful enough that those above will consent to come below to find more unusual, maybe less societally respectable pursuits. Some of the more salacious bars and sex clubs, for example, like the Silver Fuller, are known well by the elite and high society as the place to be if you would see the kinkier side of your soul fulfilled.

Below these tiers, however, the thin veneer of respectability snaps and you find yourself in the Brume, the arse end of Neo-Ishgard. Here lie the disreputable dregs of humanity – if the tales of the upper-elite are to be believed, and it’s a constant struggle to even survive, given the way that the people that find themselves in the Brume are treated. Beaten down and trodden, here lies those that have been unable to pick themselves up for whatever reason it may be. Neo-Ishgard, beautiful though she may seem from the outset, is a cruel and uncaring mother and she will not help those that have fallen into shadow between the cracks of her neon lights. Which is not to say all in the Brume is hopeless. The Brume holds many treasures that may not be available elsewhere; if you want black market goods, you can find them in the Brume. A dangerous and illegal implant or enhancement? Come to the Brume, someone here’ll sort you out! Anything you can’t find in the Jewelled Crozier, it’s fair to say that you can probably find it in the Brume, if you can afford the price and don’t get yourself killed in the process. 

Unbeknownst to those who do not care to look, however, the Brume also holds many hearts of gold; those that live only to help others in need will invariably find themselves in the Brume, for where else in Neo-Ishgard is there so much need for so much hope? In a city that crushes dreams ruthlessly, that destroys families and relationships so utterly over something as simple as gil, that will happily reward those that punch down with vicious intent, here in the savage pressure of the belly of the corporate beast, is where diamonds can yet be forged…


	2. One More Drink

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> CW: Explicit Language, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism
> 
> Psst... hey you, yeah you... wanna join an amazing server full of inspiring and enabling peeps? Then come join us at [Emet-Selch's Wholesomely Debauched and Enabling Book Club](https://discord.gg/jcgKuYs)
> 
> Hey! Also, so... err... if you're interested in possibly, potentially, peripherally reading any of my original work then you can find it [here](https://www.wattpad.com/user/Finksalion). Thank you for your support! <3

Finks Silversource toyed with her now empty glass of whiskey, spinning the base against the chrome bar top of the Forgotten Knight as her thoughts lay dark and foreboding in her head. She had been living in Neo-Ishgard for almost a year now, and had still not found one single lead on her brother. Her contact had been adamant that he was here, somewhere, and she trusted that damnably _good_ Au Ra woman with her life, so she had stuck here for longer than she really felt comfortable, given her circumstances.

If she were truly, brutally honest with herself, she would at least admit that she kind of liked it here. The city – corrupt and unscrupulous as it was – suited her well after so many years of living in the sanitized environment that she had been subjected to prior to her escape. At least down here in the Foundation people were refreshingly aware of where and who they were, even if that did mean admitting that you were nothing – less than nothing really – in the grand scheme of things of dear mother Neo-Ishgard. 

The small hyur woman stretched and ran her fingers through her long turquoise hair, sighing loudly, the movements of her body causing the small glass beads hanging from the chains surrounding her chest and stomach to tinkle prettily. Gibrillont, the elezen owner of this establishment, looked over at the sound of Finks stretching and yawning, and laughed at her somewhat sleepy expression. She gestured to the empty glass in front of her and he walked over and grabbed her glass, pouring her another shot of whiskey even while frowning at the amount she had already drunk that night.

“You still need to stand to be able to dance, Finks.” He admonished gently, and she stuck her middle finger up in what she considered to be a loving manner. He snorted at her response, obviously used to it even as she threw the gil across the bar in payment.

“I don’t think your clientele would necessarily mind if I was lying prone on the dancefloor instead of actually dancing, Gibrillont.” She replied wryly, and he snorted again in amusement, his chuckle acknowledging that she was probably right. He then leant a bit closer to her, looking like he was untangling one of the gold chains that had been braided through her hair.

“You also still need to be able to focus on your mark, too. I don’t think Haurchefant will thank you – or pay you – if you don’t manage to find out who’s been threatening Francel.” Gibrillont whispered, and Finks grunted in reply, taking a sip of her whiskey as he strolled over to another punter with a wide smile and friendly face, as always.

Fink’s mood darkened further as she thought of her job at hand. She was generally content to pick up whatever jobs she could find, whether it was for Hilda and her Hounds, or for Haurchefant and any of the random and varied tasks that he seemed to be aware of in and around the Dragonhead District, or even those shady bastards known as the Scions. Anything that paid the bills and allowed her to continue her search was good enough really, and they all were good people, and mostly good friends, apart from those times that the Scions continuously asked her to join their ranks. That grew annoying fast, even on a good day, and the issue seemed to be that good days were harder to find nowadays.

Take, for example, her current case handed to her by Haurchefant. It seemed that someone hadn’t been happy with the construction work that Haillenarte Manufactories was doing in the Firmament and had targeted Francel, Chief Operating Officer of the Mega-Corporation, and all-round nice guy. The construction work, while it would invariably help Haillenarte Manufactories expand, was also responsible for providing many jobs in the Brume, and promised many more when the factories and workshops were opened. It had, unfortunately, also pissed someone off, and to hear Haurchefant tell it, poor Francel had been beside himself with worry when he received a death threat on his tomestone a few nights ago.

Haurchefant had pinged her almost immediately after he had managed to soothe the poor boy back into some semblance of good humour – if there was anything that Haurchefant excelled at, it was soothing people. Finks figured that it was probably par for the course for the owner of the Silver Fuller – premier bar and sex club of Neo-Ishgard. She had been on the hunt for the past two days after he explained the job, and her investigations had finally brought her here, to the Forgotten Knight and a shady fellow by the name of Guillaime who was apparently _very fond_ of female dancers. She had struck a deal with Gibrillont – the owner of the Forgotten Knight and a friend of hers already, luckily – and had immediately started to work at the bar as one of their new dancers, making eyes at Guillaime and earning a modicum of trust or, at the very least, familiarity. She didn’t have a problem with baring an almost indecent amount of flesh as she danced – her previous experiences had disabused her of any modesty on that front – but she for some reason had forgotten how _handsy_ some clients could be, and Guillaime was worse than most.

She took another large gulp of her whiskey, her mood worsening as she brooded, and only then did she notice the feeling of eyes on her. She turned to look at the owner of that piercing gaze, only to be met by the bluest eyes she had ever seen, framed by long black lashes, within an incredibly handsome face of a male elezen. She appraised him over the rim of her glass, smirking at him as he watched her assessment with his own slight smile, messy black tousled hair, broad shoulders and what looked to be a very muscular chest under a cobalt blue shirt that complemented his eyes almost perfectly. Of course it did, he probably had it tailor-made for just such a purpose – he definitely held himself like money, and she idly wondered why someone like him might find himself down here in the Brume.

She looked over his shoulder to his friend, a tall white haired male elezen slouched on the bar, looking incredibly bored with the whole night. Attractive too, but in a much more raw way, definitely not of money but accustomed to a certain lifestyle. Hmm, a strange pair to be sure, Finks thought, and turned back to the blue eyed elezen as she realised that he still hadn’t taken his eyes off of her. Not surprising, she realised, given that she was still wearing her dancing clothes, and she tilted her head in acknowledgement and then turned back to the bar to take a sip of her whiskey, a smile on her face as she finally felt those blue eyes move off her.

“Aymeric! Estinien! What brings you both here? I haven’t seen you since Handeloup’s retirement six months ago!” Gibrillont exclaimed to the two elezen as he approached them, pouring them all rich dark beers and toasting with them, all three looking for the world as if they had been friends for years. They continued talking amiably as Finks watched in wide-eyed shock, unsure of how she had read the two strangers so poorly; she was usually pretty good at reading people. If they had known Gibrillont so well, it was likely that they were Knights – the peacekeepers of Neo-Ishgard – and given that they were apparently friends with the former Knight means that they were probably some of the few good ones that did actually exist, despite the corruption prevalent in the ranks.

Finks’ eyes widened once more as some dim recollection of that name – Aymeric – triggered something in her mind. Wasn’t that… Lucia’s colleague? The one that she spoke of in glowing terms, causing her girlfriend Hilda to tease her about having a guy-crush? The one that was also the heir-apparent to HeavensWard? So she was right, he was a rich boy playing at being normal, and she couldn’t help but feel the hot disappointment flood into her even as she considered how attractive he was, and how that tallied with Lucia’s good opinion of him. More complex than she initially thought, maybe – a rarity in this town where people were usually outspoken about their views and place in society. As if the continuous stream of thoughts running through her head had alerted him somehow, it was now her turn to be caught staring as those too-blue eyes focused on her once more and she blushed slightly, horrified at her lack of discretion.

“Hi, so can I buy you a drink?” He asked suddenly, and his voice was as rich as honey and as smooth as silk. There was a gravelly note there too, and she was too stunned for an instant to reply as she suddenly noticed that her glass was once again empty and her throat was parched – when did that happen?

“Ah, she’s probably had enough for the night actually, Aymeric.” Gibrillont supplied even as Finks narrowed her eyes at the proprietor.

“Oh, so now you’re my keeper as well as my boss?” She replied with an edge, and he gave her a meaningful glance to her mark, Guillaime, who had been sat a table in the corner of the large bar for most of the night, heavily drinking as he eyed her up at the bar. Finks rolled her eyes, and looked instead back at Aymeric. She hated being told what to do.

“Sure, I’ll take another. Whiskey, straight, if you’re still buying.” Finks said, a challenge to Gibrillont flashing in her eyes, and he sighed even as Aymeric looked a little concerned.

“Well, actually, I guess if your boss –” He started, and Finks shook her head, a soft sigh escaping from her lips as she cupped her face in her hands in exasperation.

“Why does no one have any bloody balls around here?” She asked, groaning and looking to the ceiling, only to hear a snort from the white haired man as he glanced over to her. He threw a few gil onto the bar and nodded to her empty glass.

“Pour the lady a whiskey, would you, Gibrillont?” He growled while still keeping her gaze, and Finks smiled widely, all tooth and nail and claw as she gave both Aymeric and Gibrillont smug smiles. Aymeric turned to look at the white haired knight with something close to exasperation, even as Gibrillont shrugged and poured her another, an eyebrow raised.

“Estinien…” Aymeric warned, and the white haired man laughed at his expression.

“What? I have balls.” Estinien shrugged, rather smugly, and took a final gulp of his beer before standing up straight even as Aymeric shook his head at the antics of his friend.

“Go on, continue to lecture the lady on her drinking habits. Let me know how it works out for you.” Estinien said to his raven haired friend, and strolled out of the bar, giving Finks a wink as he left. She downed half of the whiskey in front of her as she watched him go.

“See, now, I bet he knows how to show a girl a good time.” Finks said, slurring slightly with the amount of alcohol now pumping through her bloodstream, and she pounded down the rest of the whiskey before either of the elezens in front of her could complain or stop her.

“Now the question is, do you?” She asked as she gave Aymeric a smouldering look, her smile wide and slightly challenging as she leant forward slightly, and he didn’t seem to be able to stop himself from smiling in return, a glint of something returned in his eye – was that lust? Challenge accepted? Oh this was going to be interesting, she thought.

Finks smiled a little wider even as she noticed a blonde male elezen walk through the door with two private military bodyguards in tow. Now this one was definitely from money given the way he sneered at the location, and he straightened the cuffs of his shirt even as he scanned the large dim room for someone, aided only by the sharp lines of the spotlights cutting through the dark and highlighting the several podiums arranged around the floor, some with dancers gracefully moving in time with the low music in the background.

Aymeric also saw the man and turned around to the bar to shield his face, sharing a meaningful glance with Gibrillont. Finks observed it with interest before watching the blonde walk over to where her mark sat. He sneered at the chair and swept ineffectually at it before sitting down with a grimace. Guillaime offered him a glass of the wine he had been drinking and the young blonde sneered again, shaking his head and gesturing viciously. Her mark seemed to pale at this, and then nodded his head towards the restrooms of the Forgotten Knight. The blonde blanched, but nodded once, shortly, and then followed Guillaime in.

Finks stood up herself, stretching once more and slyly watching the effect it had on the blue eyed Elezen in front of her. Her dancing outfit consisted of layers of fine red gauzy silk wrapped around her not inconsiderable bust, dripping with chains of gold and coloured glass beads that tinkled when she breathed. Her stomach was left bare apart from more glittering chains wrapped around her taut abdomen, leading down and criss-crossing over a long transparent silken skirt in the same red and adorned with rich gold embroidery. The skirt was split on both sides to her hip, leaving long legs bare from hip to toe, and feet unshod, tiny bells on slim golden anklets which created a tiny tinkling melody whenever she walked.

The elezen took in a deep breath, a slight blush of desire at the very tips of his long elegant ears and an almost reverential look in his eyes as she winked at him, an ever so slight shimmy causing the beads to chime together and reflect the light from the bar across her skin in flashes of translucent purple and red.

“I wouldn’t, Aymeric. That one will eat you for breakfast.” Gibrillont muttered, his eyes glittering with amusement as he gave Finks a cheeky grin, and she returned the grin with a wide smile of acknowledgement.

“And what if I would want such a thing?” Aymeric responded, his eyes narrowed as he gave her a sly smile that made her heart beat just a tad quicker.

“Play your cards right…” Finks replied suggestively, and then turned and headed for the dressing room, her hips sashaying as she walked and a small smile on her lips as she could feel his hot gaze following her as she left the room.


	3. Siren

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> CW: Explicit Language, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Sexy Dancing (idk does that need a CW?), a smattering of non-con actions.
> 
> Psst... hey you, yeah you... wanna join an amazing server full of inspiring and enabling peeps? Then come join us at [Emet-Selch's Wholesomely Debauched and Enabling Book Club](https://discord.gg/jcgKuYs)
> 
> Hey! Also, so... err... if you're interested in possibly, potentially, peripherally reading any of my original work then you can find it [here](https://www.wattpad.com/user/Finksalion). Thank you for your support! <3

Aymeric sighed as he watched the turquoise-haired woman walk away from him, a coil of heat burning in the core of his belly at the very thought of her, and Gibrillont chuckled behind him at his apparent lack of control. It irked him – Aymeric prided himself on his self-control, but apparently one shake of that woman’s hips was enough for him to throw decades of discipline out of the window; Estinien had been right, he was going to need a lot of luck here if he was to escape unscathed. Aymeric turned back to face his old friend and he raised an eyebrow at the expression of amusement on the barkeep’s face.

“You do know how to pick them, that’s for sure.” Gibrillont said, topping up Aymeric’s glass of beer and shaking his head.

“You know her well?” Aymeric couldn’t help but ask, cursing himself internally as soon as the words had left his mouth, and Gibrillont shook his head at the eagerness in his voice even as Aymeric took a long draught of his beer, finishing almost half of the glass in one go.

“Fairly well, she’s close friends with Hilda and Lucia you know. Been here for about a year now, I’d guess. A good woman, that one, but a real hellion too – don’t think you can tell her what to do, else she’s like to do the exact opposite.” Gibrillont said with a soft smile on his face as he looked towards the dressing room.

Aymeric’s eyes widened at the knowledge that his good friend and colleague Lucia may know more about her, but then discarded the thought. He was acting a little crazy and he knew it, and he needed to stop. Something else, however, hovered in the back of his mind. As the heir of HeavensWard, he was fitted with the latest HALONE-tech neural implant on offer, giving him immediate and full access to the Aethernet, the global information network that covered the entirety of Eorzea. As an additional benefit of being a detective in the Knights, he was also granted full access to several databases including personal, criminal, and medical records as well as any other information that may have been gathered by the vast network of HALONE controlled surveillance in the city. It was required for his job, sure, and it had become standard for his system to run background checks on the people he met; given his intimate knowledge and skill with the HALONE system he was able to gather a lot more information than pretty much anyone else in the Knights, and probably anyone in Neo-Ishgard as a whole, with just a few checks.

Most of the time he didn’t act on what was collected; most of the data-scrape was run in the background as he didn’t like the idea of looking at people’s information without them giving consent first unless it was absolutely necessary. However, on the odd occasion something would ping that would force him to review the collected data-scrape or – in this case and much more rarely – the lack of something entirely.

“Gibrillont…” He asked, wondering if he should continue even as the thought of it plagued his mind.

“You tried to data-scrape her.” Gibrillont said bluntly, and Aymeric blushed a little in embarrassment as he looked down at his drink, the soft purple lights from the backlit bar reflecting off the glass and casting coloured shadows on the chrome bar top.

“No! Well, not intentionally, it’s the new program I set up for the new HALONE-tech neural implant, it does an auto-scrape. I try not to pay attention to it most of the time, honestly.” Aymeric tried to explain himself, getting slightly flustered at the implications and he looked up at Gibrillont pleadingly even as the former Knight smiled at the younger elezen, sensing his distress.

“Calm down, Aymeric, I meant no offense. I know you’re a good person.” Gibrillont replied, and then he leant back on the bar as Aymeric gathered his thoughts, still warring with himself on what he should elaborate on as the barkeep allowed him the space to talk if he wanted to. It was a valuable skill for a barkeep, after all.

“There was nothing… I mean, she doesn’t exist beyond a year ago and even then the data is extremely patchy. If I didn’t know better I would have thought she was blocking surveillance somehow but HALONE doesn’t allow for that easily. She doesn’t even have any implants or enhancements… How –?” Aymeric asked, his face probably echoing the confusion he felt inside. How would someone even exist in this city without even the most basic of Ident-chips? It would certainly make life extremely difficult although he knew it wasn’t entirely impossible. Gibrillont sighed, looking away for a second as if considering something, and then turned back to the raven-haired Knight, his expression serious.

“I’m trusting you not to reveal this or use it to your advantage, Aymeric.” Gibrillont warned, and Aymeric nodded once as Gibrillont sighed again.

“She’s a Resistant, and she holds the ECHO Program.” The barkeep finally said quietly and Aymeric took a deep breath at the revelation. Incredibly rare in this day and age, Resistants were those unable to use implants or enhancements for some unknown physiological reason. The reason remained mainly unknown because they were highly distrusted in a society which thrived on the use of augmentation so heavily, and it wasn’t unheard of for Resistants to be snapped up off the streets as soon as they were discovered, to be taken for testing or experimentation by any number of the many unscrupulous biotech firms out there. And that wasn’t even taking into the account the even rarer ECHO Program. So little was known about it that it was almost a myth at this point, and Aymeric inhaled sharply at the knowledge.

“As I said before, she’s a good woman. You’ll keep this to yourself? I don’t want to see her hurt in any way, she’s done a lot of good for the people of the Brume in the time she’s been here.” Gibrillont said, and Aymeric nodded once absently, lost in thought, but then focused on his friend and nodded again, with conviction this time.

“Of course, Gibrillont. We care for those that care for others.” He said, a soft smile on his lips and Gibrillont also smiled at the quotation of the unofficial motto of those Knights that were known to be on the good side of the fight.

“She noticed our ‘friend’.” Aymeric mused, taking another sip of his beer as he looked at Gibrillont with a speculative expression. Gibrillont nodded, a grin on his face.

“Haurchefant hired her to look into something to do with Francel’s recent venture. I suspect you both might be working the same case.” Gibrillont elaborated, and Aymeric’s eyes widened once, before he considered the situation further.

“Really? How very interesting. And you say she’s good?” Aymeric asked, that small flame of interest coiling in his belly blazing bright for less than a second at the thought of working more closely with her before he tamped it down with force, leaving just that simmering heat once more.

“ _Very_ good.” Gibrillont answered, a smirk on his lips.

“Give me a few minutes and then book me a dance from her, would you, Gibrillont?” Aymeric asked and Gibrillont sighed before nodding.

“Fury, Aymeric, I hope you know what you’re getting yourself into here.” Gibrillont sighed again and Aymeric smiled in excitement at the very thought of it.

He tapped into his neural link as Gibrillont went to serve another at the far end of the bar, and perused through the vast list of tools at his disposal before selecting the enhanced hearing program, closing his eyes for a second to focus on the several disparate streams of audio information that scrolled down his vision. His world became a mess of conflicting clipped and jumbled sound as he flicked through the streams, and he felt a slight headache at the back of his skull at the influx of sound in his head. Finally finding the stream he wanted, he closed the others and opened his eyes once more, taking a sip of the smooth dark beer as he listened to the conversation happening in the toilets. 

* * *

Finks smirked as she entered the dressing room, stoking the heat in her belly as she bit down on her bottom lip and thought of the tall raven-haired elezen now in the bar behind her. Gods, she understood now why Hilda teased Lucia whenever she spoke of him. She hadn’t really paid attention to the goings on in the Pillars since she came to Neo-Ishgard, so she had to admit that she didn’t know much of the HeavensWard heir; it wasn’t as if she would ever really get to see the place for herself given her situation, and she wasn’t really sure that she was that interested in going anyway. She’d had her fill of rich people with no morals, and wasn’t so interested in diving back into that world. Besides, she could probably do more to help the people in Foundation – the Pillars didn’t need her help. She idly wondered if it wasn’t hampering her ultimate reason for being here, but until she was able to find a way to get past the heightened security in that region, there was little she could really do about it.

Sitting down at one of the tables in the dressing room, she started to touch up her makeup in the mirror in the large room even as she heard the sounds drifting in from the restroom next door. The walls here were surprisingly thin so if she listened hard enough she could hear almost every word that her two persons of interest were saying. It took a while to work out who was who, but she realised that she might have hit the jackpot when she concluded that the blonde man seemed to be Guillaime’s employer.

“You’re drunk.”

“So?”

“I didn’t pay you to get drunk, I paid you to threaten Haillenarte’s boy.”

“And I did. It’s not my fault that he’s not backing down from the construction.”

“Well then, I suggest you start getting a little more threatening then. I was told that you weren’t squeamish – do I need to take my gil to a different Inquisitor?”

“No, it’s fine. I didn’t think you wanted him hurt, though.”

“Plans change. He’s getting too far on in the construction. You can hurt him now, kill him if you have to, we need it to stop, now.”

Finks cursed under her breath softly at the revelation that Guillaime was an Inquisitor. Hired mercenaries and killers specifically used for cases of corporate espionage or other shady business dealings, they were considered ruthless and tenacious. It seemed that this deal that Francel had made for the Firmament land had attracted more attention than Haillenarte Manufactories probably wanted, and it had just gotten really serious.

“Finks, you’re up.” Gibrillont shouted through the dressing room door and the voices next door froze even as Finks swore softly again.

“Sure, be right out.” She called back, and winced as she heard muttered whisperings next door, obviously now aware that their voices may have carried further then they intended. Well, she wasn’t going to get any more from them tonight so she might as well take the dance request and then see where Guillaime got to later tonight.

She finished touching up her makeup, dark, smoky and sultry, and walked out of the dressing room into the dimly lit bar area. Her green eyes widened when she stepped up to her podium to find the raven haired elezen, Aymeric, sat front and centre to her stage, obviously having bought and paid for this dance. She gave him a provocative smirk as he slouched back in the chair with his legs wide open, his elbows resting on the arms of the chair, his fingers steepled in front of his face, and his returning grin was positively lascivious. She felt him look her up and down, taking in her body as the chains glinted and spun around on her skin, and she rolled her body as she watched him drinking her in, a small satisfied smile on her face as she watched his slow steady breathing halt for a second, his eyes narrowing in desire, before his breathing returned to that easy, steady tempo that made her want to just grab him and make him lose control. Damn it, this was getting dangerous, she warned herself, even as she got those pleasing flutters in her belly at the very thought of flustering this elezen in front of her.

As the music played low in the background, Fink stared into his eyes and began to move her body, letting her lust build and direct her movements as she swayed her hips to the music, hands touching, caressing, stroking. She watched him under hooded eyelids, her bottom lip caught in her teeth, and she could see a fire start to build in those gorgeous eyes as his breathing quickened slightly, and suddenly everyone else disappeared, and it was just him and her, and the music. She moaned slightly as she imagined his hands on her body, and her caresses became more urgent, bold strokes of fingers flitting under the silk of her top every now and then, feeling her nipples harden under the soft fabric. Every roll of her hips set the small glass beads on her clothing to tinkling their tremulous harmonics – offering a counterpoint to the sultry music and her own undulating movements, and she skimmed her fingers up her body, capturing her throat for a second before slipping the tip of an index finger into her mouth, sucking on it gently, eyes fluttering closed in pleasure before fixing back onto his eyes with a wide smile as she bit lightly on her fingertip.

She could feel his eyes boring into her, his mouth opening slightly as his breathing deepened, his eyes hot and pupils blown wide open, his own steepled fingers now resting on his lips as he leant forward slightly. His attention was entirely upon her and she feasted on his scrutiny, letting his seductive gaze fuel her increasingly lewd movements. This tenuous erotic connection between them grew and strengthened, on the verge of becoming something tangible before, with one single interruption, it snapped like delicate silken thread as the blonde elezen from before weaved his way between them and leant down into Aymeric’s space. His two bodyguards followed close behind, impassive, distant, and then immediately behind them and gazing up at Finks with lust, was Guillaime.

“Oh look what we have here, it’s the bastard Knight of HeavensWard.” The blonde sneered and Aymeric looked at him once before disregarding him entirely, keeping his attention on Finks instead. She could see, however, the tightening around his eyes as he tried to maintain an air of impassivity.

“Tedalgrinche, is it? Of, ah, Dzemael Applied Sciences? I do apologise, it’s so hard to keep the names of you smaller corporations straight in my head.” Aymeric muttered disinterestedly, and Finks smirked as she saw the blonde elezen’s eyes bulge in offense before they then narrowed in anger.

Aymeric seemed to notice her amusement and his lips twitched as those blue eyes snapped to hers for a second. Finks continued to dance, maybe slightly less provocatively than before but still keeping her time with the beat and slowly rocking her hips from side to side as she sent one hand up to her throat as the other travelled down her abdomen, reaching just under the low-slung skirt, caressing, before heading back to her hip. Aymeric gave her a sultry stare at her movements, his lips curling slightly at the corners, and the blonde followed Aymeric’s line of sight and his eyes narrowed as he watched Finks dance. She supressed a shudder at the leer on his face, and instead schooled her features into one of indifference. He turned back and his eyes flashed at Aymeric in delight.

“I’m surprised, Aymeric, I didn’t think this kind of place would be your kind of thing. Thought you were more about the Galas and Sky-bars of the Jewelled Crozier. Looking to make your own little bastards?” Tedalgrinche smirked, and Aymeric’s eyes flashed even as he remained still, not rising to the bait, his eyes locked on Finks’ sinuous movements. She could see his jaw ripple as he gritted his teeth in anger though, and was at least partially amazed with the way he was able to keep his cool, considering. Finks would have punched the fucker for sure by now, if she was being brutally honest. That being said, Finks thought, she had never been good with controlling her temper.

“No matter, I guess…” Tedalgrinche mused, obviously disappointed that he couldn’t get a rise out of Aymeric, and turned around to look at Guillaime behind him. He sighed when he saw Guillaime’s own lecherous glare, and gave him a warning glance, before he scowled once more at the location and swept out of the bar, his two guards in tow.

Finks could hear Aymeric’s sigh of relief even from where she danced on the podium, and offered him a small smile of consolation, one he returned with gratitude.

“Hey, that’s enough of him, you should dance for me now.” Guillaime demanded, obviously very drunk and annoyed that Finks wasn’t paying him any attention. Now it was Finks turn to sigh, and she glared at him slightly, the purple lights of the bar reflecting off his glazed drunkenly leering face, giving him a somewhat ominous appearance.

“He has paid for this dance, sir.” She replied sweetly, giving him a small pout and Guillaime huffed in return, glaring at Aymeric even as the Knight looked on in amusement.

“The lady speaks the truth, friend, and I’m not inclined to share on this occasion I’m afraid. Maybe you should find another to satisfy your desires? I fear I may be buying her up for the rest of the night and I don’t think you’re going to be able to outbid me.” Aymeric added smoothly, a touch of bite in his honeyed tone, deliberately working the elezen up and Guillaime frowned even further.

“I don’t care what you think you can do with all of your gil, I saw her first – she’s mine!” Guillaime retorted, and he weaved closer to Finks, grabbing the front of her top and pulling her down to try and kiss her. She heard silk rip at her bust, glittering chains snapping and a few of those precious crystal beads tinkling to the floor and she cursed even as she smoothly evaded the drunk’s lips, pushing him back slightly – enough to topple him over but not enough to make it look like the stumble was anything more than a drunken mistake on his part to an outsider.

Aymeric was on his feet in an instant, his eyes snapping with anger at the drunk’s presumptions even as he appraised her swift movements, giving her a single nod as he noted her smooth and almost imperceptible action. She’d need to be careful around this one, to be sure, if he was able to notice her feint. Either that or she was getting slow. Guillaime cursed and swore even as he tried and failed to get up from the floor.

“Stupid bitch, I’ll make you pay –” Guillaime started, staring at Finks in anger but not before Aymeric leant down, a very large blue filament blade suddenly unfolding into his hand, casually held at his side as he coldly appraised the drunken sot before him. The bright blue light shone out from around the edges of the blade with an alarming intensity, and Finks thought the glow it gave off complemented the fiery anger in his eyes quite well.

“May I suggest you find more pleasant climes for your entertainments this evening? I’d hate for you to have any issues with a Knight in this area because of your actions.” Aymeric said, his voice low and quiet as he flashed his Knight ID at the elezen.

“My actions? That whore refused my advances and pushed me over!” Guillaime slurred, and Finks could hear Aymeric’s loud growl from where she stood on the podium.

The pall of imminent violence lay thick and heavy in the air for a second, the rest of the bar seeming to hush as the Knight stood over the drunk, who seemed to be sobering up quite effectively at the threat from the elezen standing over him. Gibrillont reached under the bar and pulled out an older version Ident-Gun, the barrel heavily modified for closer combat, flared at the muzzle and glowing slightly with what Finks recognised as a mind-shot enhancement made for allowing slight adjustments to shots after they had been fired. High-skill stuff, and Finks looked at the barkeep with even more admiration than she had before.

“Now, now, let’s try to be reasonable and handle this like honest folk.” Gibrillont called lightly into the void of palpable tension, his gun causally placed on the bar top. Finks’ heart beat once, then twice, and then Aymeric backed off, the light of his blade dimming as he deactivated the filament blade. He glowered at the man below him as he hung the now suddenly collapsed hilt back onto his belt again, the disparate sections of the three foot steel shards that made up the base for the filament blade folding down and in on themselves until the whole thing was slightly smaller than the Ident gun that hung on his other hip.

“Apologies, Gibrillont, I didn’t mean to threaten your customers, and I’m sure this _gentleman_ would relish the opportunity to apologise to the lady for his insulting remarks.” Aymeric said lightly, his voice once again smooth and soothing, giving the cowering elezen below him a meaningful glare.

“O… Of course, please, accept my apologies miss… I mean, my lady, I, err… didn’t meant to call you a whore.” Guillaime replied, tripping over his words and now painfully sober. Finks nodded once in response, her own heartbeat slowing after the feeling of tension that had permeated the room, her hands still at her bust in order to keep the outfit in place and not expose herself to the rest of the bar. Aymeric, for his part, reached a hand down to help Guillaime up, and after a moment of hesitation the elezen accepted his hand and stood up, brushing himself off and nodded at Aymeric nervously. At that nod, the last tendrils of tension left the bar, and the other customers turned back to their previous entertainments. Gibrillont placed his gun back underneath the bar, and motioned the inquisitor over to his bar.

“Come friend, let me get you a drink – on the house to show no hard feelings!” Gibrillont called, and Guillaime dragged himself over, leaning against the bar and accepting the bottle of wine, only glancing furtively over at Finks every now and then, but careful not to let Aymeric see.

Finks drew her eyes away from her mark and instead looked down at the delicate glass and crystal beads scattered across the floor with a sigh. This outfit had been expensive, and it would cost her a lot of gil to replace the fine vanya silk and the glass beadwork, not to mention the gold chains. Well, she wasn’t going to be dancing any more tonight, and she glanced over at her mark as he continued to guzzle down the free wine that Gibrillont was plying him with. Bless that elezen, she thought, and she crouched down to the floor and began to collect some of the larger more expensive beads in her hand. No point in wasting them if they could be reused or resold to pay for the outlay of this outfit. It was unlikely that she would need to use it again, but she had hoped that she would have been able to sell it on after she had been done with it.

She felt movement beside her and looked up from the floor to find Aymeric crouching down beside her, watching in surprise as he started to also pick up some beads from the floor, his knee brushing against hers every now and then as he moved around to find the small crystals glinting in the dimmed light. They remained like that for a few seconds, and the spotlights that surrounded her podium rendered half of his face in shadow, his profile reminding her once again just how attractive he was. She felt that heat churning in her core and the silence grew between them, hot and heavy and pregnant with desire.

“Listen, I’m sorry about, well, all of this.” He finally said, breaking the growing tension with that voice like honey, low enough and close enough that no one else could hear them talk, as he gestured at the beads on the floor and in his hand.

“It’s fine, it wasn’t _entirely_ your fault.” Finks replied, looking at him with a wry smile and he winced and then smiled, running fingers through his tousled hair.

“I deserved that. Can I at least pay for the ruined outfit? It would help me feel better about the whole situation.” Aymeric persisted and Finks hesitated, her pride prickling at the idea of accepting any kind of charity. She looked into those deep blue eyes and that tenuous connection that they had felt as she had danced earlier seemed to recreate itself, the link as fine as one of gold chains still draped across her stomach. She felt her breath quicken, even as his own also seemed to increase in speed, and she forced herself to look away, to break the connection before it had time to fully form.

“Honestly its fine, you didn’t get a full dance anyway even though you paid for it, so we can probably call it even.” Finks replied, desperately trying to concentrate on picking up the beads, trying to stop this thing before it even got started.

“How about I pay for the ruined outfit, and you finish that dance for me another time?” Aymeric countered and she looked at him again, startled, to see desire shining in his eyes. Damn. She stood up and he hurried to stand as well, and as they stood there she realised just how much taller he was than her, how much he towered over her. He reached out and opened her clenched fist, depositing the beads he had collected into her hand before gently closing her fist over them and encircling it with his own large hands, surprisingly delicate fingers splaying out and brushing against her knuckles.

“I’ll think about it.” She promised, looking up at him with smouldering eyes and she pulled her hands away and strolled back towards the dressing rooms to get changed. As she walked away from him for the second time this night, the sway of her hips felt a lot more dangerous; the stakes were starting to rise exponentially and she really didn’t know if she could afford to take this bet. Since when had that ever stopped her though?


	4. Like Clockwork

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> CW: Explicit Language, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Graphic Depictions of Violence, Blood, Gore, Shapeshifting
> 
> Psst... hey you, yeah you... wanna join an amazing server full of inspiring and enabling peeps? Then come join us at [Emet-Selch's Wholesomely Debauched and Enabling Book Club](https://discord.gg/jcgKuYs)
> 
> Hey! Also, so... err... if you're interested in possibly, potentially, peripherally reading any of my original work then you can find it [here](https://www.wattpad.com/user/Finksalion). Thank you for your support! <3

About half an hour later, washed up, face scrubbed free from make-up and dressed in her usual clothes which pretty much amounted to a sleeveless black cotton hoodie with a cropped tank top underneath, a skirt probably too short to be considered decent in regular circles, and her usual trusty thigh-high synth-leather boots, she strolled back out into the bar. Her katana was strapped to one side, and a knife was slid into a strap at the top of her boot on the other. She never really understood why she never felt the cold, even here in the freezing Coerthas Highlands, and just chalked it up to a high metabolism. It helped to hide her Resistant state anyway; in a place where skin-surface temperature modulation was a common enhancement, people cared less about the weather and more about fashion anyway so her natural resistance to the weather just allowed her to fit in that much better.

The first thing she noticed upon entering back into the low-lit main room of the Forgotten Knight, the low sultry music thrumming through her body like blood through her veins, was that her flirting companion for the evening was gone. Ignoring the small spike of disappointment that pricked at her chest, the second thing she realised was that her mark was also gone. That observation made her swear in frustration; for the past three nights the now revealed inquisitor had remained until after her set had finished, and she had been able to ply him with alcohol and get at least a little information out of him. However, it seemed that the disturbance to her usual activities this night had created more ripples than she initially thought.

As she made her way to the bar, she saw Gibrillont serving another customer and waited impatiently, tapping all four fingers on the bar in a rhythmic fashion that somehow melded with the background music even as she looked around in case her mark may have just been using the rest room, or enjoying another dance elsewhere. Gibrillont finally finished and walked over, hesitantly pouring Finks another whiskey at her tight expression and shaking his head softly.

“He’s gone. I tried to keep him here but he insisted he had somewhere else to be.” Gibrillont said, and she threw back the whiskey as hot disappointment and anxiety flooded her system along with the burning alcohol.

“How long ago?” She asked tightly.

“About 20 minutes ago? Not long after you went to get changed.” Gibrillont replied, and Finks rubbed her face in frustration.

“Well, shit.” She finally exclaimed and he shrugged in response. She narrowed her eyes as she looked at that innocent shrug; he was hiding something from her.

“We won’t go into that very specific Ident-gun I saw you handle earlier, and instead I’ll just ask this: when exactly did your raven-haired Knight friend leave?” Finks asked and, if possible, Gibrillont’s innocent expression turned into one of extreme vapidity, only serving to increase Finks’ suspicion.

“Hmmm, probably just after that Guillaime fellow left I’d say.” Gibrillont said blandly, and Finks pushed the empty glass away, the base of it rolling on the bar in ever decreasing spirals until it finally came to a rest.

“So your friend, the Knight. He wouldn’t happen to be working the _same bloody case as me_ , would he?” Finks asked, irked beyond measure at the thought of it, although she couldn’t quite put her finger on why.

“I couldn’t possibly give away details of an ongoing Knight investigation.” Gibrillont said as he grinned viciously.

“Bollocks!” Finks snorted in response, “Besides, you’re no longer a Knight so you’re not bound by any such oath.”

“Let’s just say that he might have been working it from another angle and leave it at that. You’d have to speak to him directly if you want to find out more.” Gibrillont said, crossing his arms and leaning back against the bar behind him.

“Shit! Haurchefant wanted this one closed without involving the Knights. This could cost me dearly.” Finks mused, rubbing her face yet again as her mind raced on how she could get this solved before the Knight could stick his pretty nose into it any further.

“Well, luckily for you, Aymeric paid you for the dance, and mentioned there being extra in it for the deal you two made. As a gentleman I didn’t ask further but I assume you know what he meant by that?” Gibrillont said, throwing a rather hefty bag of gil over to her. She barely caught it, and was surprised at the weight. She opened up the pouch and her eyes widened at the amount of gil held within. It was easily more than five times the amount for the dance, and enough to pay for the outfit and then some. Her eyes narrowed at the amount as she closed the pouch and slipped it into her own side-bag, bristling at the thought of how easily he had just handed over almost a week’s salary with probably no more than an afterthought. She sighed, dismissing the thoughts that roiled around her head, and got back to the matter at hand.

“Well, I guess I better head out and see if I can figure out where my mark got himself to. I think I have an idea, unfortunately.” Finks said, and reached into her somewhat heavier pouch and brought out a good handful of gil and placed it on the bar top. “For your troubles, thanks for everything Gibrillont.”

“No problem, Finks, see you around.” He replied as he scooped up the coin and she nodded once before strolling out of the back entrance of the bar into the cool Neo-Ishgardian night. It was drizzling slightly as she left the Forgotten Knight, and the brightly coloured neon signs that hung all over the street coloured the droplets as they fell, rainbow puddles of light forming on the uneven floor. She pulled her hood up over her hair and started walking towards the Firmament, luckily only a ten minute walk or so away from where she stood. She saw a few people here and there huddling for warmth under the canopies of some businesses, closed for the night, and as she walked past she nodded and pressed a few gil into their hands. It wouldn’t help their predicament much, she knew, but it was something at least.

As she wove her way through the narrow streets that made up the Brume, buildings held up by warping steel and coiling wire and rotten wood and looking for all the world like they would collapse if a stiff breeze made its way through the winding streets, she felt a tingle at the base of her skull. Someone was watching her. She stopped for a second, trying to pinpoint the location of the gaze, and something whispered at her to look up. As she followed her instinct, she saw something shoot up in the corner of her eye, higher than a person could conceivably jump without extremely specialised enhancements. What she had been able to see before whatever, no, whoever it was had jumped out of sight, was a trail of shoulder-length white hair. She smirked as she realised who her tail had been and continued on with her task even as she felt that same sensation brush against her at random intervals throughout her journey.

Spotting a young boy loitering on the corner of the street, looking shifty and eyeing up the sparse footfall traffic in this area as if searching for his next mark, Finks whistled and beckoned the boy over. He stiffened at the whistle, but when he saw who it was he crossed the street with a swagger ill-befitting his tender years and grinned at her.

“Oi Finks, what’re yer doin’ ‘round ‘ere then?” He asked and she grinned and handed him a couple of gil.

“Looking for someone, naturally, Alfric. Remember that guy I pointed out to you a couple of days ago?” Finks asked and the boy nodded vigorously as he pocketed the coin.

“Oh yeah, that creepy fella with th’ black hair that were always drunk? Yeah I saw ‘im not ten minutes ago headin’ down to th’ Firmament with a bunch o’ thugs.” The boy answered, scratching at his head and kicking his feet around. He seemed eager to get back to his nightly activities, and Finks thanked him and watched with a tolerant smile as he ran back across the road, nonchalantly leaning against the corner of the street for all the world like he had never moved. His words bothered her though, and she started to walk with some purpose towards the Firmament, now really concerned about what she was going to find.

As she made her way through to the large building site at the edge of the Brume, she could hear the cry of terror echoing from around the scaffolding and she hoisted herself smoothly over the simple skysteel barrier erected around the site, dropping down on the other side with a soft grunt before she stalked around the large crates and containers, towards a low spotlight in what seemed to be the centre of the construction yard. Peering out from behind a large wooden crate, she could see eight, no, ten people standing around, while another two were walking towards the young Francel as he sat on the floor, scrabbling backwards on his hands and feet as he looked around for help. The two guards he had obviously brought with him to his place of work this evening were laying nearby – Finks couldn’t tell if they were dead or unconscious. Standing in the centre of it all was her mark, the Inquisitor Guillaime, who looked at the young elezen with vicious glee.

Quickly evaluating the situation – the hired thugs of the Inquisitor didn’t seem to be particularly talented, probably just roughs picked up off the street, Finks then did what she always did best; ignored all tactical reasoning and drew her katana, running into the middle of the group and placing herself squarely between them and Francel. The fresh-faced elezen looked up at her with shining gratitude and she nodded before turning her attention back to the thugs, and the furious Guillaime.

“You! What are you doing here?” Guillaime demanded, a shocked expression plastered over his face as the thugs halted their advance.

“Surprised to see your favourite _whore_ here, Guillaime? I just _so missed_ our conversations where you told me all of those little snippets of information that you were probably supposed to keep to yourself, so I just _had_ to come and find you.” Finks replied, and she smirked as Guillaime’s mouth dropped wide open.

“Who are you?” He asked, aghast, nervously looking around for others to follow her.

“No one special, just looking to make the city a better place, one fucker at a time if I have to.” Finks replied lightly, cursing herself for drinking so much as she ground her back foot into the mud beneath her boot to gain a better foothold. She wondered if her shadow had followed her even here and – looking at the thugs coming towards her – she fervently hoped so, just this once.

“Take her down, men, and then kill our young COO here too.” Guillaime snarled, eyes flat with anger, and the thugs began to advance, a variety of wicked looking weapons in their hands as they grinned and looked down at the small midlander hyur in front of them.

Even as she twisted her hands on her katana hilt, securing her grip and feeling the bound cord against her palms, she evaluated those in front of her, immediately picking out the two with Ident-guns, who had stayed back and concentrated on the one who was now taking aim. One breath, then two, and then even as she saw his finger pull back on the trigger she twisted her body, slicing her blade up to slash at the projectile. Calling on that secret inner self that she refused to acknowledge, she cut the bullet clean in half. She didn’t have time to think about it though, as she felt another bullet rush past her face, the feeling of immediate heat burning past her cheek as she managed to dodge just in time. She grinned at the feel of adrenaline shooting through her body, and even as she twisted out of the way of the shot, she reversed direction and suddenly stomped her foot back down in front of her.

As her katana slashed down with a force enhanced by that secret within, she created a vortex so powerful that it thrummed out from her in a cone, knocking several of the encroaching thugs a few steps back. Pressing on her advantage she slashed forward towards the nearest thug, a large roegadyn with a skysteel hammer, and before he could raise his hammer to strike she had cut twice in a cross fashion across his chest, felling him immediately. She felt another bullet blow past her, this one close enough to leave a friction burn on her arm, and cursed, disengaging with a female hyur with vicious looking enhanced cesti who seemed wickedly fast. Even as the hyur followed her, she ran up to one of the machinists and before he could take another shot she sliced across his unprotected throat, blood flying into the night in a wide arc. However, the hyur had caught up easily and Finks grunted as she felt a cesti thump hard into her back, throwing her forward and onto one knee at the enhanced attack.

She managed to twist and get her katana up to block another vicious punch, and saw the second machinist train his gun on her even as two of the other thugs began to advance on Francel.

“Fuck!” She cursed, pushing herself back up onto her feet and jumping back to dodge yet another projectile with preternatural speed, even as she lashed out at the monk in front of her, slashing across her face and causing the hyur to scream in agony as she clutched at her bleeding face. She could see the machinist to the side of her aiming another shot, but she couldn’t waste any more time as one of the thugs reached Francel, and she dashed back over the yard towards the highlander who had reached the young elezen still cowering on the floor.

“Oh no you don’t!” She cried out as she gritted her teeth, channelling her power and taking the highlander’s head off in one swift motion. Francel looked at his attacker, horrified, even as the body crumpled to the floor in front of him, and Finks took a breath, eyes wide, as she heard the gun go off behind her. There was no time to dodge this one, and she braced herself for the impact, only to hear the bullet bounce off metal, and then feel a back against hers, tall and broad and muscular.

Concentrating on the other thug that had been menacing Francel, she brought her katana round in a long backswing and the blade bit up into the armpit of the shocked miqo’te, before blood dribbled from his mouth and he slid off her blade.

The immediate threat to the young elezen over, she turned to find Aymeric standing with his back to hers, a grin on his face as he slashed that large vicious filament blade up and into the body of the female hyur with the cesti, blood still dripping down her face from the blow that Finks had landed earlier.

“You took your bloody time.” Finks exhaled, a grateful smile on her face in direct contrast to her words.

“You seemed to have it mostly in hand.” He replied smoothly, turning to grin at her as the hyur crumpled beneath his blade. Finks glanced once at the remaining machinist, only to find him pinned through with a lance as the white haired Knight casually pulled his weapon out of the violently shuddering body before flexing his strong thigh muscles and jumping once more.

“A dragoon, makes sense.” Finks muttered, and Aymeric raised an eyebrow at her before turning to concentrate back on the battlefield. Then they both started to turn and strike, bodies moving fluidly in concert as they made short work of another two thugs in front of them, slashing and thrusting and cutting with a grace and synchronicity that Finks didn’t expect given that they had never fought together before. It felt right, somehow, as if their movements echoed and complemented each other, and before she even needed to say a word he had grabbed her waist and spun her around, her hand lightly pressing against his chest for balance as they rearranged themselves against another two foes. She found herself against another monk as Aymeric squared up against another roegadyn, this one with a filament axe.

As they fought against their opponents, there was a whistling sound from above, as if something was cutting through the air at a terrific pace, and suddenly Estinien was hurtling to the ground at the two remaining thugs who were once again heading for Francel. He took them both out with a single sweep of his lance, electricity crackling up the pole and blade of his lance as his eyes burned bright with the thrill of battle. Finks slashed through the monk in front of her, watching the body fall with a flick of blood falling from her katana, and Aymeric had thrust his filament blade right through the roegadyn, the sizzling sound as he pulled the blade out of the body visceral and violent.

The three of them stood there for a second, breathing heavily at the exertion, and then Finks turned to face Guillaime with a furious glint in her eye. Wide eyed and aghast at the carnage before him, he slowly backed away as his eyes darted at the bodies, before he looked up at Finks with terror in his eyes.

“I got three, you only got two and a half.” She heard Estinien mutter behind her, and Aymeric sighed even as she pulled her knife from its sheath, weighing it in her hand once to familiarise herself, before throwing it at Guillaime before he could run away.

“Does it really matter, Estinien?” Aymeric asked with a long-suffering sigh, even as she heard her knife connect with the Inquisitors thigh with a meaty thunk sound, causing him to scream and fall to the muddy ground, holding his leg in pain.

“Of course it does… She beat us both though, you know. I count six and a half dead to her blade.” Estinien continued, a weird mix of jealousy and admiration in his tone.

“Yes, she is rather good, isn’t she?” Aymeric replied behind her, his voice speculative and she couldn’t help but smile slightly at his admission. She stalked towards Guillaime as he tried to scrabble away, babbling and sobbing in pain, but stopped in shock as she heard a whistling sound hurtle through the air and saw a dart bury itself into Guillaime’s neck. Before she could even do anything the dart unfolded and plunged a bright red liquid into the Inquisitor’s neck, causing him to immediately shake and shudder, his eyes rolling back into his head.

“What the fuck?” Finks exclaimed as the two elezen, who were helping Francel up from the ground, looked over at the sound. Checking that the young elezen was okay, Aymeric strode over to where Finks was backing away from the Inquisitor’s violent seizure, sounds of breaking bone and tearing flesh, choking and wheezing sounds emanating from his throat as the elezen’s body slammed back into the mud, his back arching in a distinctly unnatural way.

Even as Finks and Aymeric watched in fascinated horror, the Inquisitor’s body began to grow, muscles ripping cloth as they expanded and formed where previously there had been none, as his face twisted and contorted into a muzzle like form even as large leathery wings burst forth from his shoulder blades. As his fingers grew longer and his fingernail became sharper, the once-Inquisitor made a horrible growling noise as he righted himself, standing now at almost double the height of Aymeric, towering over them both as drool spilled from his now almost draconic mouth.

“Didn’t expect that, that’s for sure.” Finks said sardonically, even as Aymeric breathed in assent and readied his stance, his blade swung out wide to the side of him.

“Estinien, get Francel to Haurchefant. We can take care of this.” He shouted back to the Dragoon Knight and Estinien hesitated, looking up at the monster in front of them.

“Now, Dragoon!” He snapped, his voice commanding and authoritative, and Finks could hear Estinien swear in the background before picking up Francel and jumping once more.

“We can take care of this, right?” He asked, glancing over at her, his eye lingering on her arm where the bullet had scraped past. She glanced down at the wound, red and stinging slightly, before she looked back up at him and smiled as a fresh burst of adrenaline pumped through her bloodstream.

“I’m fine, we’ve got this.” She replied, a wicked grin on her face as she readied her stance, both of them looking up at the wyvern-like creature with slightly crazed smiles of excitement.


	5. Bring the Madness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> CW: Explicit Language, Graphic Depictions of Violence, Blood, Gore, Kissing (slight dub-con for no permission before kissing)
> 
> Psst... hey you, yeah you... wanna join an amazing server full of inspiring and enabling peeps? Then come join us at [Emet-Selch's Wholesomely Debauched and Enabling Book Club](https://discord.gg/jcgKuYs)
> 
> Hey! Also, so... err... if you're interested in possibly, potentially, peripherally reading any of my original work then you can find it [here](https://www.wattpad.com/user/Finksalion). Thank you for your support! <3

The creature in front of them roared, the sheer force generated from that noise brushing at Finks’ hair as she held one arm up to cover her face from the spittle of the creature. She saw Aymeric doing the same, and when they glanced at each other, she made a gesture to the side and he nodded. They both separated and started to flank the former inquisitor, the creature roaring again and turning its long neck between the two, unsure of what to do. It lashed out at Finks with a muscled arm, sharp claws on the end slashing at the air as she jumped back out of reach.

As soon as the beast’s attention had turned to Finks, Aymeric dashed forward and cut at the body with his blue filament blade. The blade cut through, but not as deeply as it should have and his look of surprise made Finks wince even as he pulled the blade out, the smell of searing flesh wafting into the air. Maybe this would be more difficult than they initially thought. The beast roared in pain, and turned back to Aymeric in rage, lashing out once more. Aymeric blocked the attack with his sword, the blade once again cutting through the monster’s clawed hand, sinking in slightly before he slashed the blade across the palm and stepped out of the way.

Finks waited until the beast seemed distracted, and took the opportunity to dash forward. However, it seemed that it was not as stupid as she initially assumed and before she had the chance to strike it had turned, quicker than she would have thought that it could, and its claws slashed across her waist, tearing jacket and skin with equal ease. Finks gasped as she felt the pain start to radiate out from her side and she saw Aymeric watch her fall back with wide eyes, his arm outstretched towards her from the other side of the monster. Gripping her side, she rolled out of the way of another attack and got unsteadily to her feet, her katana in one hand as she put pressure on the wound, feeling blood trickling through her fingers.

“I’m okay, let’s get this done.” Finks called out through gritted teeth and Aymeric nodded, fire burning in his eyes as he roared and started to thrust and slash at the monster with a wild abandon, carving chunks out of the creature with every vicious swing of his filament blade. Finks watched for a second, shocked at the violence and aggression on show from this seemingly cool and collected individual, and then saw her opening as the beast turned to Aymeric with a roar, fully distracted by the onslaught this time. As the creature turned to face Aymeric, she rocked back on her heels, took a deep breath, and then ran up the tail of the monster, scrambling up as best she could until she stood for a second on the hunched back of the beast, feet planted between back and wings with as much stability as she could manage.

She felt that strange secret power swell within her even as the monster roared beneath her, and she removed her hand from her side and grabbed the hilt of her katana in two hands, feeling the cord wrap slightly slick in her bloody hands. The sensation threw her back to a time long ago, the memory of bloody hands clutching at a knife, but she banished the thought and gritted her teeth as she felt that power reach its peak.

1.3 seconds; it was always the same amount of time but it felt like an eternity to her, and sure enough, 1.3 seconds later she was slashing across the neck of the monster with enough force and power that her blade hit the thick bone of the spine, feeling like steel under her blade even as it sunk into the bone by a larger margin than she would have imagined possible. She felt the vibrations from hitting the bone reverberate through her katana and into her hands and as the creature roared and flailed in agony she felt her hands slip and she was thrown from the beast’s back, landing on the floor with a grunt, stunned, her katana still buried in its neck.

The beast roared again, a strangled kind of sound, and before their very eyes, the creature collapsed on the ground, shrinking back down into the form of the inquisitor once more with Fink’s katana falling out of his neck, and her knife still sunk into his thigh. A stunned silence filled the construction yard, broken only by the wheezing sound of the inquisitor’s breath leaving his body for the last time, and Finks flopped her head back onto the ground, grabbing her side and letting out a deep breath as she felt the continuous drizzle of the night land on her face. The cool rain on her skin was surprisingly relaxing, and she shut her eyes for a second, savouring the sensation.

Aymeric ran over to her, kneeling in the mud by her side and touching her shoulder. She opened her eyes and looked up at him, giving him a small smile, and he leant back, visibly relieved.

“I’m okay.” She groaned and he carefully removed her hand from the wound, wincing at the mess before clamping her hand back down with some force, his hand tight over hers.

“You are decidedly not okay, but I’m glad you’re at least alive.” Aymeric replied firmly, his honeyed voice thick with unspoken emotion. She nodded wearily and he helped her to sit up as he kept his hand on hers on her side. He looked around and grabbed the sleeve from one of the nearby thugs with his free hand, ripping it off with a short grunt. He then proceeded to wad it up and pushed it over the cuts running across her side, wincing as she hissed in pain. He took her hand and held it over the fabric, pressing down hard and looking at her with regret even as she blanched, gritting her teeth.

“I’m sorry.” He said shortly, before standing up and finding another sleeve of the cleanest shirt he could find, wrapping it around her waist to keep the makeshift bandage in place. Taking a few deep breaths, Finks started to rise, still cradling her side, and groaning with the effort. Aymeric held out a hand to help and she took it, once again surprised at his strength as he took most of her weight without any apparent strain. She slowly made her way over to the body of the Inquisitor, picking up her katana and wiping off the blood before re-sheathing it at her waist. She then pulled the knife out of his leg and cleaned and put that away also. Finally, she nudged him over onto his front and bent down with a grunt, hand to her side again, as she looked for and found the small dart still stuck in his neck, plucking it free carefully with two fingers and holding it up to the light.

“Interesting.” She mused, looking at the strange dart with the small see-through glass chamber in the centre, a droplet of the liquid that had been injected into the inquisitor still left in the chamber. She put it in a small compartment in her pouch, looking thoughtful.

“What was that?” Aymeric asked, looking over her shoulder, but before she could answer they both heard the sound of distant vehicles getting closer, and Aymeric paused for a second, his eyes glazing over slightly before he snapped back into the present, his face grim.

“We need to leave, now. Durendaire Military are on their way, with heavy artillery.” Aymeric said, his face grim as he looked at her side. “Can you run?”

Finks grimaced but nodded and he looked at her, as if he were assessing her strength before he offered her a hand. She hesitated for a split second, and then grabbed it and he was pulling her away with long strides.

They exited the construction yard swiftly, Aymeric helping Finks over the fence before dropping gracefully down on the other side, and wound through the dark streets of the Brume. Turning this way and that through the narrow side-streets, dodging past hanging wires and empty crates, they desperately tried to avoid the sounds of approaching heavy footfalls from all angles. Eventually Aymeric pulled her into a small alleyway and leant against the wall next to her, shielding her body from the entranceway with his own, unintentionally looming over her as they listened to the approaching footsteps.

It could have been the blood loss, the disappearance of the adrenaline that had been pumping through her body after the fight, or the alcohol finally catching up to her, but whichever it was, Finks suddenly felt lightheaded and reached out to steady herself, one hand on Aymeric’s chest as she leant back heavily on the wall. Aymeric looked at her, and then at her small hand on his chest, and then at the approaching footfalls of the Durendaire Military.

“We need to move, now. Are you okay?” He asked, looking at Finks questioningly and she shrugged and shook her head, trying to clear the fog from her brain as the alleyway refused to stop spinning.

“I… shit, I don’t know… I need a second?” She stuttered, her face wan even as the sounds of the soldiers got louder. He looked back down at her again and then slammed his hand into the wall above her head.

“Fuck!” He cursed through gritted teeth, and the crassness of the word seemed unsuited to his honeyed tone even as the passion behind it sent a small thrill through Fink’s body.

“Sorry.” She said faintly, and he shook his head, waving away her apology. He looked at her again, and there was an immense sense of hesitation and regret, even as he leant closer to her, one hand reaching to cup her cheek as the other lay lightly on her hip.

“We need a cover… Forgive me, this not how I wanted it to go.” He said softly, guilt shining in his eyes, and before she could reply or even ask what he was talking about, he had leant down swiftly and captured her lips in his own.

The first thought that ran through her head was that his lips were incredibly soft, and before she could consciously consider it, her lips had opened to his kiss, her tongue reaching out to entwine with his own. Sparks fired down her chest as the unexpected kiss deepened between. She felt his hand move from where he had been softly holding her cheek to entwine in her long turquoise hair, and her own free hand reached to his neck and pulled him in as they kissed like they were both starved for each other’s touch, lips locked with bruising intensity, only pulling apart every now and then to breathe and emit soft moans and grunts of passion and desire and want before reaching for each other almost immediately again.

The second thought that she had, even while consumed with the desire of wanting to taste him further, was that her hand on his chest was now fisting the fabric of his blue shirt and pulling him in closer and slotting her body against his. She thrilled at the feel of his hand on her hip, fingers splayed as he groaned into her mouth and pulled her hips into his, grinding into her almost involuntarily. One hand still on her wounded side, she moved her other hand from his neck and instead reached for his back and pulled him in closer, her own moan matching his as she writhed and bucked against his body as they both fought to get closer, ever closer. Her hand had untucked his shirt from his trousers and was stroking his lower back softly, fingers dipping under his waistband every now and then to stroke the top of his pert ass. His free hand was no less busy, alternatively gripping and pulling, moving from her hip to her ass cheek and squeezing it even as he pushed himself into her further. His desire was self-evident as they ground their hips together and she groaned again into his bruising kiss as she rocked herself onto him, harder this time, feeling him responding in kind.

The third thought, far back in her mind, noticed the sounds of approaching soldiers, one splitting off from the pack to walk down the alleyway. The soldier stopped as they continued their passionate embrace, and watched with bright eyes for half a minute or so before being called back by his comrades.

“Nothing happening back there but a real good time.” He called to his comrades, and they laughed and moved on, looking elsewhere for their troublemakers.

It was a further 30 seconds or so before Aymeric pulled his lips from Finks’ with visible difficulty, shuddering as he did so and stared at her with dark lust filled eyes. Those eyes, so blue when Finks had first seen him in the bar, were almost black as his pupils expanded with desire, and his voice was low and hoarse as they both panted at the intensity of their embrace. He gazed at her with such naked longing that she moaned lightly, rolling her body against his and he shuddered again, his eyes rolling back into his head for a second as he strained against her.

It was with gritted teeth and a force she could physically feel that he pushed himself fully away from her and stepped back into the middle of the alleyway. His hands seemed to twitch for her, yearning to reach out as he finally tore those compelling eyes away and looked down, harsh pants causing his chest to rise and fall, his tousled black hair falling across his face.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t know what else to do.” He said, his voice low and gravelled, and Finks chuckled and then clamped her hand on her side even harder, the sensation of laughing reminding her of her pain, causing her side to ache and sting more severely than before. She looked him up and down, still breathing hard with lust and trying desperately to batten it down into something resembling normal behaviour. Gods this man was ridiculously attractive, more so when he was trying to be a gentlemen despite his obvious and captivating carnal desires, and she had to fight hard to remind herself that this was not a good match, despite what her body may have screamed at her, despite the intangible connection from before that had hardened immediately into golden skysteel at the touch of his lips against hers.

“No need to apologise, it was quick thinking on your part. And the name’s Finks, by the way. Finks Silversource.” Finks replied, a wry grin on her face. The elezen looked up, shocked, obviously expecting to be reprimanded for his ungentlemanly behaviour and instead smiled shyly at her compliment of his unorthodox actions, before his eyes widened as he realised that he hadn’t even known her name this entire time.

“Fury, I guess we haven’t actually been formally introduced yet, have we? Detective Aymeric de Borel of the Knights, at your service.” He replied, giving a small bow and then, hesitantly, reaching out a hand for her to shake. She looked at his outstretched hand and burst into peals of laughter.

“Is that how you introduce yourself to all of the people you’ve kissed so intimately, Detective?” Finks asked archly, and Aymeric blushed in response, his hand faltering slightly. She reached forward and shook it anyway, and he gave her a rueful laugh.

“I guess this makes for unusual circumstances. I really am sorry for our… for the way I acted though, it was highly improper of me.” He apologised once more, and Finks held his gaze, her eyes sparkling with a heady mix of amusement and hunger.

“I’m not.” She smirked, unable to help herself and he blushed again as his eyes darkened with lust for a split second before he managed to get it under control once more. The rosiness of his cheeks contrasted beautifully with the blue of his eyes, she thought, and then her world started spinning as her knees crumpled and she was suddenly on the floor. He was by her side before she knew it, leaning down next to her with concern shining in his eyes.

“Shit. Too much whiskey and not enough blood, I’d imagine.” She said woozily, trying to shake her head from the returning fog, and Aymeric gave her one long look before picking her up in his arms, ignoring her feeble protests.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing, Detective?” Finks demanded and Aymeric looked at her, amused, as she was forced to wrap one arm around his neck to keep at least somewhat stable in his arms, even as she felt herself starting to fade.

“Aymeric, please. And I’m ensuring that you first see a healer, and then I’m going to see you safely home. You’re in no fit state to travel on your own.” He said firmly, and she quailed somewhat at the look of resolve on his face: tender, but as unyielding as stone. He checked the entrance to the alleyway but it looked like the Durendaire Military had moved on so he strode through the streets quickly, holding Finks to his chest with an unexpected tenderness for someone he had only met that night. Finks drifted in and out of consciousness as he walked quickly, looking up every now and then to see him glancing down at her with concern shining in his blue eyes.

“Hang on, by the Fury, hang on, we’re nearly there.” Aymeric muttered, and Finks wasn’t sure if he was talking to her or talking to himself. He finally reached his destination, a large black motorcycle with cobalt blue streaks and electric blue lights pulsing along the sides as he approached, a small bird head etched into the glossy side in matt black.

“A chocobo bike? Wow you really do have all the money.” Finks murmured woozily, recognising the high end brand and speaking before she had the chance to filter herself. Aymeric blushed slightly, holding her gently in his arms as he got on the bike, moving her so she straddled the bike facing him, putting her arms around his waist and holding the handlebars with his arms either side of her, stopping her from falling off the side.

“I’ve got you okay? Just hold tight and hang on for just a bit longer.” Aymeric said, looking down at her with those piercing blue eyes. Finks gripped his waist tightly and leant her face on his chest, pale and starting to shake slightly from the cold. Why did she feel so cold? That was unusual.

“Your eyes are so pretty.” She mused dreamily, still lightheaded and feeling really woozy and out of it. Had she just said that out loud? Shit. She shook her head, trying to clear that damnable fog, but it only succeeded in making her even dizzier. Aymeric cursed and started up the bike, pulling out his tomestone from his pocket and pressing a button.

“Haurchefant – Estinien and Francel are with you? Good. Yeah I’m on my way but Finks is injured, get your best chirurgeons ready, now.” Aymeric said into the tomestone and then put it away again and looked down at Finks as she started to drift off again.

“I’ve got you.” He repeated softly as he pulled out into the road, and the last thing Finks remembered was his jaw clenching as he drove the bike into the sky, and the feeling of wind at her back as they sped on into the night.


	6. Only Human

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> CW: Actually, there aren't really any here, medical maybe? Oh, the sounds of whipping also.
> 
> Psst... hey you, yeah you... wanna join an amazing server full of inspiring and enabling peeps? Then come join us at [Emet-Selch's Wholesomely Debauched and Enabling Book Club](https://discord.gg/jcgKuYs)
> 
> Hey! Also, so... err... if you're interested in possibly, potentially, peripherally reading any of my original work then you can find it [here](https://www.wattpad.com/user/Finksalion). Thank you for your support! <3

At first there was sound… the rustle of sheets, a low background hum of music and chatter behind closed doors and – was that a man moaning in pleasure after the sharp crack of a whip against flesh? Behind the immediate noises of whatever location she had found herself in lay the ever-present background hum of the city that never sleeps. Ah, Neo-Ishgard; not her city, but as close as she’d had to a home for the longest time, depraved and corrupt as it may be.

The next sensation to come back was touch, and the feel of a rich cotton material soft and cool against her aching body. Someone had removed most of her clothing, leaving her clad in only her bra and knickers, and she could feel the dirt and mud and grit layered in her hair and on her skin, a direct contrast to the clean sheets above and beneath her. As her memories of the night returned, she remembered the sensation of fine silk ripping against her chest in the Forgotten Knight, the drizzle of rain on her face from the cold Neo-Ishgardian night, a bullet grazing past her arm as she fought desperately to protect another, and the inquisitor turned beast slashing her side wide open. And then Aymeric’s soft lips on her own, the taste of him, the feel of his breath warm against her skin. This last memory lingered for far longer than she would wish it to, and she deliberately turned her mind to something else, something less complicated.

Instead she began to sort through the assorted aches and pains across her body, cataloguing the sensations, tensing and relaxing each muscle in turn to test their functionality. Her whole body was sore and she felt like she’d gone ten rounds with a goobbue. However, she did realise that the sharp visceral pain from her side was now gone, to be replaced by a dull throb instead.

Finally opening her eyes to find herself in a darkened room, luxuriously decorated, in a four poster bed large enough to easily fit three roegadyns, she looked down at her side to find the wound closed and neatly bound together, only three reddened scabs showing where the ragged slashes had been only hours ago. Someone talented and therefore probably _very expensive_ had healed her, especially given that she didn’t have a fast-heal enhancement. That being said, whatever her weird secret was, it did pretty well on that front too, and for that she was grateful.

She considered sitting up, but her body complained at the very thought of it. She could see a blue light emanating from the corner of the room and when she looked over she could see a woman in a blue lab coat, tapping away at a tomestone, the light from the device shining up into her face and reflecting off her coat to give her features a soft blue glow. Dropping her head back to the pillow, Finks could feel her head start to throb and she realised how very dry her mouth was, as if she’d had cotton bolls packed into it for half the night. Laying as still as she could – gods, _everywhere_ _ached_ – she became suddenly aware of voices in the other room, and she slowly started to tune in, straining to listen, as she realised that she recognised those voices.

“You insulted Tedalgrinche? You mean Chief Technical Officer of Dzemael Applied Sciences, Tedalgrinche? The company that on occasion works _with your father_?” Finks immediately recognised that voice as belonging to Haurchefant Greystone, owner of the Silver Fuller and her current employer for this contract, and she immediately surmised that she was probably in one of the many well equipped rooms of the premier sex club in Neo-Ishgard. That also explained the size of the bed in this room, as well as the sounds of someone enjoying being whipped _very much_ next door. She vaguely remembered hearing Aymeric talking to Haurchefant on his tomestone before she passed out, and she blushed slightly at that – _how very embarrassing_ – and one hand came up slowly to rest across her forehead in shame. As if the thought of him alone summoned words from his mouth, she heard the Knight reply to his friend.

“Unfortunately so. In my defence, I didn’t realise he would be involved at the time, I had just heard rumours of an Inquisitor contract out on poor Francel.” Aymeric replied with that voice as smooth as silk, and she heard Haurchefant sigh even as a door opened somewhere.

“Speaking of which…” Aymeric started, only for the sentence to be finished by another voice she recognised from earlier in the night.

“He’s fine, I just dropped him home.” Estinien replied in his low gravelly voice.

“Fury, the poor young man looked _traumatised_.” Haurchefant said, his voice filled with concern.

“So would you be, if you saw someone beheaded right in front of you.” Estinien replied wryly, and Haurchefant sighed again.

“This whole thing is such a mess. And if it gets out that the Knights got involved in corporate business – especially you Aymeric – then you could be in a lot of trouble.” Haurchefant warned, and Aymeric sighed even as Estinien chuckled.

“I know.” Aymeric replied, his voice tight with frustration.

“You know the Knights are supposed to remain impartial in matters of business – that’s what private military are for.”

“I _know_.”

“And you especially are supposed to stay far away, given the reams of paperwork and waivers you had to sign in order to even become a Knight in the first place, what with your position in HeavensWard.”

“ _Haurchefant! I_ –”

“Yes, sorry, I guess I am going on a bit.”

Haurchefant cleared his throat awkwardly, and Finks could hear Aymeric’s despairing sigh from here, even as Estinien chuckled again.

“Well, regardless of the dire consequences you may face if anyone found out you were involved, I for one am very glad you jumped in.” Haurchefant continued.

“I wasn’t going to leave her to die.” Aymeric answered determinedly.

“No, no I don’t suppose you would, and I would have thought less of you if you had.” Haurchefant replied softly. Estinien harrumphed into the silence that followed.

“I’m heading out unless you need me for anything else?” The dragoon asked, voice gruff and sounding slightly bored.

“You don’t want to wait until she wakes?” Aymeric asked with some surprise and Estinien grunted in response.

“She already has two mother hens flapping over her, she doesn’t need a third.” He responded and Haurchefant laughed at that even as Finks heard the door open and close again. Finks couldn’t help but chuckle herself at the thought of it, and that was enough for the chirurgeon to look up and notice that she was awake.

She hustled over, checking Finks’ temperature and the closed wound in her side, and then helped her sit up in the bed slightly as she gave Finks a glass of water.

“Carefully now, I’ve healed the wound as best I could but you lost a lot of blood. How are you feeling?” She asked softly, helping Finks take small sips of the water.

“Been better.” She replied, at least part of the throbbing and her scratchy throat eased by the water. She did actually feel a lot better; this woman was a competent healer.

“I daresay that would be the case, yes. You’ll be fine after a couple of days of rest.” She pronounced, her hard features softened by the light smile on her face. She refilled Finks’ glass with water and then stood up.

“Drink that slowly, I’ll get the two gentlemen in here. They’ve been _very_ eager for updates.” She said quietly, and Finks snorted at the mental image and Estinien’s previous words even as she continued to take small sips of the water. The chirurgeon left the room, only opening the door a crack to let herself through, and she could hear voices on the other side, too tired to listen this time. Wincing as the door flew open, letting in a blinding light from the other room, she saw Haurchefant stride in, arms wide and smile even wider, and behind him Aymeric – concern shining in his bright blue eyes as they both approached the bed.

“Finks! My dear! What have you gotten yourself into this time?” Haurchefant said, seating himself comfily on the bed next to her, legs crossed and one arm flung across his chest, his chin resting on the raised closed fist of the other. Aymeric stood to the side of the bed, leaning against one of the posts of the large bed, arms crossed over his chest.

“Some erotic dancing, foiling corporate assassination and a bit of light monster killing, to name a few of the highlights.” Finks supplied, giving Aymeric a wry smile and Haurchefant laughed aloud even as Aymeric blushed slightly and looked to the floor.

“Ah, the usual then.” Haurchefant replied wryly and they both chuckled.

“See Aymeric? No need to be so worried. Your damsel in distress is fine and whole, and I’m sure willing to supply you with glowing praise for your dashing and timely rescue.” Haurchefant teased and Finks gave him a warning glare, albeit with a twinkle in her eye, even as Aymeric looked at his friend pleadingly.

“Damsel in distress?” Finks asked with not a little threat in her voice, and even the irrepressible Haurchefant winced at the tone in her voice.

“Please, Haurchefant, don’t let your clever tongue get the better of you.” Aymeric supplied, and then turned his attention to Finks, a touch of guilt shining in those compelling eyes.

“I trust you’re feeling better, my lady?” He asked and Finks winced at the honorific.

“Much, thank you Detective, and its Finks, please. Definitely not a lady.” Finks admonished gently even as Aymeric’s smile grew under her gentle teasing.

“And I thought I told you to call me Aymeric, Finks.” Aymeric replied with an equally teasing admonishment. They gazed at each other for a second before Finks looked over at Haurchefant, irritated, as his jaw dropped at the whole exchange. He looked at her and shut his mouth, then looked at Aymeric, a wry smile fluttering on his lips as his expression became very thoughtful.

“My word, I had no idea.” Haurchefant smirked, and it was Aymeric’s turn to give him a warning glare.

“No idea of what, Haurchefant?” Finks asked sharply and he smirked even harder.

“That you two had such a close relationship forming.” Haurchefant replied cheekily, and Finks grimaced even as Aymeric blushed and looked away from Haurchefant's knowing gaze.

“We’re not close – that is, there is no relationship to be spoken of. I simply came to her aid after the result of an incident at the bar she worked at, and we happened to be working the same case and found ourselves fighting the same enemy. Nothing more.” Aymeric said, his voice maybe a touch more gravelled and irritable than usual, the tips of his ears reddening slightly and Haurchefant gave him a penetrating stare, causing him to look away even as he smirked slightly.

“Oh, well. I wouldn’t want to presume on the nature of your apparently budding not-a-relationship on this very night.” Haurchefant replied innocently, and Finks couldn't help but laugh even as Aymeric blushed, looking on helplessly.

They were interrupted by the chirurgeon returning to the room, laying a few tubes of salves, a bottle of pills, and pile of bandages on the side table and providing Finks with instructions on how and when to apply each one. Finks took it all in, but the chirurgeon – as thorough as she seemed to be – also ported the details and instructions of the medicines provided over to her tomestone, before packing away the medicines into a bag and leaving it on a side table.

“Great, does that mean that I can leave now?” Finks asked, starting to get up, and the chirurgeon immediately started to object before Finks waved her away.

“I can rest in my own bed just as well as here, probably better, giving the room’s neighbours. And you did say that I was fine but for some rest.” Finks argued and the chirurgeon shook her head, although Finks’ point was punctuated by yet another crack of leather, and another moan.

“That is correct, but I’d still prefer if you were observed for the night. As the gentleman here describes it, you took a pretty nasty fall as well as your other injuries, and I’d rather see that you’re not concussed.” The chirurgeon maintained, even as she winced at the sound of leather next door.

“I’ll watch over her. I’ll be escorting her home so it makes sense anyway.” Aymeric answered before Finks could open her mouth to argue further, and she instead turned to face him incredulously.

“If that’s okay with you? I did say that I’d see you safely home tonight.” He asked her and she hesitated for a second before shrugging wearily.

“Do I really have a choice here?” She asked with a hint of exasperation in her voice, only to be met by all three parties in the room speaking at the same time.

“No.” They chorused, and she sighed.

“Well, then I best get dressed so you can escort me home.” Finks drawled, and threw the cotton sheet off her, momentarily forgetting that she was dressed only in her bra and knickers. As she revealed herself to the room, the chirurgeon gasped, Haurchefant grinned appreciatively and Aymeric’s mouth dropped open, his ears turning a bright shade of red even as he seemed unable to tear his eyes away from her.

“Oh please, like none of you have seen an undressed woman before. In fact, all of you have seen _me_ in this level of undress or similar before so it should be even less shocking. Now where are my clothes?” Finks demanded as she sat at the edge of the bed. She laughed in delight as both Aymeric and Haurchefant regarded each other with speculation at her statement, as the chirurgeon shook her head and walked over to the side, where Finks’ clothes has been neatly folded, and brought them over.

“I got them washed for you while you were unconscious.” Haurchefant added and Finks gave him a grateful nod but sighed when she saw the state of her jacket, large rents in the fabric where the monster that they had fought had clawed through her jacket and skin alike.

“We’ll wait outside while you change, then.” Aymeric said, still blushing slightly, pushing Haurchefant out of the room against his will, followed by the chirurgeon shaking her head at their antics as Finks’ laughter followed them out of the room.


	7. After Dark

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> No content warnings.
> 
> Psst... hey you, yeah you... wanna join an amazing server full of inspiring and enabling peeps? Then come join us at [Emet-Selch's Wholesomely Debauched and Enabling Book Club](https://discord.gg/jcgKuYs)
> 
> Hey! Also, so... err... if you're interested in possibly, potentially, peripherally reading any of my original work then you can find it [here](https://www.wattpad.com/user/Finksalion). Thank you for your support! <3

It was still raining when Finks and Aymeric finally left the Silver Fuller, maybe an hour later, after the chirurgeon was satisfied that Finks was okay and fit to leave her care. The chirurgeon had given the medicines to Aymeric along with her number and a list of symptoms he should be on the lookout for over the night, with instructions to call her immediately if any of them should occur. Finks, for her part, had paced back and forth impatiently, keen to get out from under the care of the chirurgeon, stopping every now and then to banter easily with Haurchefant.

Now, finally free, Finks took a deep sigh of relief and looked up at the night sky, droplets landing on her face, enjoying the slight sensation of vertigo she got from looking up at the skyscrapers surrounding them as they reached both up into the sky and back down into the Brume below. She breathed slow and deep, the feel of the falling rain on her skin bringing her back to old memories, long past, and happier times. Aymeric looked at her with an amused expression at the joy shining on her face, and she tilted her face to look at him.

“You never just stopped to feel the rain on your face?” She asked cheekily.

“Not to my memory, no.” He replied, and then shrugged and turned his own face to the sky. Closing his eyes for a second, he breathed deeply and a soft smile formed on his lips.

“Right?” Finks responded at that smile, and he nodded, eyes still closed. “My sister and I used to do this all the time when we were kids back in...” 

Finks tailed off as she realised what she was about to say. Damn, what was it about this elezen that lowered all of her defences so very easily? Aymeric opened his eyes and looked down at her, surprised, even as she turned away with her lip caught between her teeth.

“You have a sister?”

“Had.” Finks replied, her voice tight and wary.

“I’m so–”

“It’s okay, you weren’t to know.” Finks cut him off, pain coursing through her at the thought of it. There was an awkward pause for a second, before she marshalled her emotions and turned back to him, a cocky smile once again on her lips and she stood there, hands on hips.

“So you going to take me home and take care of me, nursing me gently as I lay in my bed, helpless against your gentle ministrations?” She asked, smirking, and the tips of his ears went red once more as Aymeric coughed in embarrassment.

“My, you’re so easy to tease.” Finks laughed, holding her side as she giggled, but she stopped almost immediately when she saw the look he directed at her. It was dark and hot and spoke of a sweet promised revenge that made her shiver with its intensity.

“Keep it up, please, let’s see where all of this teasing gets you.” Aymeric replied, his voice slightly rough as he continued to gaze at her with that intense stare. Finks took one step towards him, without even realising it, before she turned away from those intensely blue eyes, biting off a curse at her lack of self-control.

“Anyway I’m starving, let’s get some food before we head back to mine for my night of observation. You hungry?” Finks asked, changing the subject and refusing to look at him, even as she could feel his eyes, hot and heavy, still on her.

“Ravenous.” He replied shortly, and she wasn’t sure if he was talking about food or something else, but before she could ask he ripped his gaze off her and almost shook himself. When he turned back, his eyes were back to their usual blue and his smile was once more easy going, his demeanour calm and controlled.

“I know a place just down the road from here that does the best beet soup and kaiser rolls. Sound good?” Aymeric said, and Finks smiled and nodded as she wondered if it were exactly the same place she had been thinking of.

Aymeric directed them through the streets of the Dragonhead District, through a gap in two towering buildings, the pathways between filled with open restaurants and food stalls on the left and right, shouting and joking and cajoling with each other across the gap as their pans sizzled with delicacies and large pots bubbled with soups and stews from all around Eorzea. The two sides of the buildings connected by long thick overlapping metal grates between and around the stalls, it was still enough to give you vertigo were you to look too closely down at the fall to the Brume below, or realise that the lack of handrails may have made the jostling crowds a touch more dangerous. Strings of lights criss-crossed the gap, hanging low above their heads and causing Aymeric to duck slightly every now and then, and the bright lights contrasted with the garishly lit signs of the individual stalls advertising their wares in a variety of colours – specialising in only one dish or another.

The smells from these stalls were incredibly enticing, and Finks could hear her stomach rumbling as she realised that she hadn’t eaten in quite some time. They weaved through the crowds, the district busy even given the late hour, and they finally ended up at exactly the store that Finks usually found herself at when late at night and wanting something hot and filling for dinner. Assuming that Haurchefant had told the Knight about this place, she was surprised when the old auntie that ran the stall turned and gasped at Aymeric with a genuinely pleased smile on her face.

“Oh, if it ain’t young Aymeric! ‘Ow are ye? We ain’t seen yer for a week or so now. I was gettin’ worried – thought yer might ‘ave found another beet soup stall t’ fill you up!” The old elezen woman exclaimed, a warm familiar smile on her lips.

“Never, Auntie Azie. Mother would rise out of her grave and slap me if I went anywhere else. Besides, everyone knows you make the best kaiser rolls in all of Coerthas.” Aymeric replied with a smooth grin and the old woman cackled in response.

“Well ain’t that the truth, yer ma always did know best! Do ye want yer usual tonight then?” The woman asked, already starting to pull ladles of the rich red soup from a giant cauldron simmering away beside her.

“Actually…” Aymeric started, before Finks stepped out from behind him and the old woman gasped, then narrowed her eyes, cackling in glee.

“Well, well, well, me _two_ favourite customers together, eh? I don’t know if I should be ‘appy or worried at such a turn o’ events.” The old woman said with a smug knowing grin, even as Aymeric turned to look at Finks with surprise.

“How are you, Azie?” Finks asked, and the old woman smiled salaciously, giving a sly glance up at Aymeric.

“Not as good as ye will be I’ll wager, with this man on yer arm. Both me and his ma – Fury rest her soul – ever despaired at getting’ him t’ pay attention t’ any lass or lad that made eyes at ‘him. I should ‘ave figured that if anyone would get ‘him to stop working and enjoy ‘himself it would’ve been yerself.” The old woman said, winking at Finks who laughed even as Aymeric blushed.

“Auntie!” He exclaimed in shock, as the old woman cackled even harder.

“Listen me boy, yer better take good care o’ this one. She’s a treasure to Foundation to be sure – yer know it were ‘er that ‘helped out our Aufie with that trouble earlier this year, don’t ye?” The old woman said with some vehemence in her voice, and Aymeric looked at Finks curiously at hearing this.

“I just did what anyone would do in the same situation.” Finks shrugged in response; the girl – Azie’s grand-daughter – had gotten into some gang trouble earlier in the year and Finks had managed to not only extricate the girl from the situation, but also pay off her debt to the gang with a simple job in return. Azie had been immensely grateful, often giving Finks extra portions of her beet soup for free. While Finks was glad that the girl had learnt her lesson and had remained clean ever since, she was also never one to say no to extra food, so she had graciously accepted.

“Hah! Fury’s tits, yer did. Most would’ve spat and walked on by rather than ‘elp. Yer an angel in hyur form, and yer didn’t ask for a single thing in return neither! I mean it Aymeric, yer better watch out fer this one or Fury take me I’ll be taking yer across my knee like I did when ye were a mischievous young’un!” The old woman threatened, shaking her ladle at Aymeric, who shrank back slightly at the warning.

“Now, I’ve packed extra fer yer both, as well as a few good portions of kaiser rolls fresh from th’ oven, in case yer not wantin’ to get out o’ yer bed tomorrow.” Azie said with a wink, and handed the large overstuffed bag to Aymeric, who took it with a grunt. Before he had a chance to juggle the bag and get to his pocket, Finks had already pulled out a handful of gil and passed it over to the old woman who accepted it with a nod even as Aymeric made to complain.

“It’s fine, my treat for your forthcoming duties.” Finks said with a smirk, causing the old woman to cackle loudly, even as Aymeric blushed once more.

“It’s not, I mean we’re not… Oh fury take me!” Aymeric exclaimed, exasperated, and glared at Finks, who just stuck her tongue out at him in return, causing him to snort in amusement.

“Thank you Azie, take care of yourself.” Aymeric said, and Finks gave her a wide smile as they walked back to his bike, the old woman waving them away and turning to the next customer.

“I’m surprised you’re such a regular, given...” Finks started cautiously as they weaved through the throngs around the food stalls, and Aymeric turned to give her an amused smile.

“Didn’t expect a rich boy to be so familiar with Foundation?” He teased, and she blushed at her preconceptions even as he laughed softly at her reaction.

“You’re pretty when you blush, I should see what I can do to facilitate that more often.” He observed and she blushed even harder, this time drawing a wickedly thoughtful smile to his lips.

“To answer your question, after my mother was summarily dismissed from HeavensWard for daring to get pregnant after my father seduced her, she found herself… unwanted… in the Pillars. We moved to Foundation and I spent most of my younger years around here. When my mother passed, my father realised that he might have some use for me, and I was allowed back into the Pillars and was taught the _family_ business.” Aymeric explained, his voice cool as he recounted the details. Finks was shocked at how open he was about the whole situation, and as he glanced back, his own expression echoed his mirth at her surprise.

“And then you decided to become a Knight instead.” Finks stated more than asked, and Aymeric nodded, as they finally reached his bike parked in the square outside the Silver Fuller. He put the food away in the small compartment at the back of the bike, and then turned to face her, leaning back on the seat with his arms crossed as the blue lights pulsed across the bike at his touch.

“I never was that interested in business, I guess.” He said, shrugging, and Finks gave him a sly smile at that admission.

“Bet daddy dearest was happy about that.” She said airily, and he laughed aloud at her turn of phrase. As if he couldn’t help himself, he glanced up at one of the many digital billboards surrounding the square, where Thordan stood against a bright yellow background in his usual white suit, espousing the virtues of the latest piece of Halone-Tech.

“I’m still not totally off the hook. You could say he’s allowing me to play at being a Knight as long as it’s convenient for him, but I’m damn sure he’ll pull my leash if it becomes an issue.” Aymeric replied, his lips twisting into a bitter smile as he looked away at into the middle distance, hurt shining in his eyes.

“But at least you get to help people in the meantime.” Finks said shrewdly and Aymeric turned back at that, his eyes wide and a small grin on his face.

“Exactly.” He responded, and his eyes held hers with a quiet gratitude for her succinct understanding of his situation. Finks wondered if such understanding was in short supply in his life that he was so shocked when someone realised why he did what he did. The truth was, Finks couldn’t really say that she felt all that different, even though her circumstances may have been.

“Now, dear Finks, would you like to tell me where we’re going so we can get on with eating all of this soup that Auntie Azie just piled onto us?” He asked and Finks laughed even as she got on the bike behind him, her arms holding onto his waist as she gave him the directions to her place. He looked surprised for an instant, then nodded and started his bike, driving up into the sky.


	8. Murmuration

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> CW: Explicit language, some alcohol usage
> 
> Psst... hey you, yeah you... wanna join an amazing server full of inspiring and enabling peeps? Then come join us at [Emet-Selch's Wholesomely Debauched and Enabling Book Club](https://discord.gg/jcgKuYs)
> 
> Hey! Also, so... err... if you're interested in possibly, potentially, peripherally reading any of my original work then you can find it [here](https://www.wattpad.com/user/Finksalion). Thank you for your support! <3

They rode in silence, Finks leaning against his back to stop the cold rain from whipping into her face, relishing the warmth emanating from his body underneath his slightly grubby blue shirt. She could feel the soft rhythmic movement of his breathing, the odd flex of his shoulders as he twisted a handlebar to correct their course, the hard muscular planes of his back, and the memories of their kiss flooded back to her consciousness, causing her to take an involuntarily deep shuddering breath as her desire coursed through her like wildfire.

“You okay back there?” Aymeric asked, turning slightly to check on her as he kept one eye on their route, shouting to be heard over the whipping wind and the sound of crashing water as they came closer to their destination. Finks nodded against his back, and her arms reached further around his waist, splayed fingers spreading across his stomach and torso as she pressed her chest against his back.

“Perfectly.” She breathed into his ear, holding tight as she leant up to let her whisper tickle his auditory canal and feeling entirely gratified by the small shudder she felt run through him at the soft sensation she caused. She sat back down again as he groaned quietly, teeth gritted and turning back to the sky, even as he pushed back against her, his breathing just a touch faster now.

They were coming to the very edges of the Brume, where the huge waterfalls surrounding the Jewelled Crozier in the Pillars above cascaded down past the Foundation, past the Brume, to fall crashing far below the city of Neo-Ishgard in the chasms and valleys underneath. It was here that Finks had made her home, in an old abandoned warehouse on the edge of one of those chasms, facing a wall of water surging and flowing down to disappear far below. Surrounded by other old buildings and warehouses, many abandoned and empty, the nearly derelict area suited her fine as it afforded her a level of privacy otherwise unknown of within the usually tight confines of the Brume.

She directed Aymeric down towards the warehouse and hopped off the back as he touched down on the ground, unlocking and opening the large garage on the ground floor as he rolled his bike in and shut it off. Grabbing the food out of the back as Finks closed and locked the door, with a manual padlock of all things, she indicated for him to follow her up a set of metal stairs, into what seemed to be the main living area of her home. It was a strange set up to be sure, a wide open space with a set of glass walls to one side leading out onto an outdoor space facing the waterfall, where the rest of the building had fallen away. Inside the large open room was minimally decorated; a huge semi-circular window directly in front of them as they entered the room, below which lay a large double bed.

To the side of the bed was a small bank of monitors on a standing desk with wires coiling and tracing across the floor to other technical equipment laid about in seemingly random places; a generator here, a random battery bank there, and a few lights and electrical sockets linked up to the coiling mess of wires, spread around to light the place rather minimally. Finks knew it was probably strange to others to live in a fairly dim glow, but she preferred it that way, and she enjoyed that the main light to her home came from a large neon sign which flickered occasionally, shifting its colours as the business it had belonged to had long since shut down, depriving it of its instructions and shining into that large semi-circular window to splash over her bed.

Directly to the side as they climbed the stairs was a small open kitchen with an old fridge, an even older stovetop and a small standing bar area attached to the countertop, and this is where she directed Aymeric to put the food, studiously declining to mention the fact that rest of the voluminous floor space was given away to a small library of books with some scatter cushions thrown around the wonky bookshelves, and a large training area with wooden dummies placed strategically around the room, some holding various items of armour while others had random items of clothing draped over them.

“Make yourself at home, sorry I don’t really do chairs.” Finks said, gesturing at the sparsely populated room and then pointing over at the only internal door in the place. “That’s the bathroom, everything else is, well, here I guess.”

Aymeric put the bag of food on the top of the kitchen countertop and started to unpack the packs of soup, pulling the tabs on a couple of the foil containers to active the self-heating elements within. Finks, for her part, started to pile the mountainous number of kaiser rolls that Azie had provided them with onto a large plate, and then rummaged in her embarrassingly bare cupboards for a couple of clean spoons before also pulling out a couple of glasses and a large bottle of whiskey from another cupboard. Aymeric raised an eyebrow at the last item, even as Finks poured out a couple of fingers of the rich golden liquid for each of them.

“Sure that’s a good idea?” He asked even as she capped the bottle.

“Thought you were here to nurse me, not mother me.” Finks said lightly, and he stared at her steadily even as she picked up her glass and clinked it against his, still sat on the counter.

“Cheers.” She said cheekily, taking a small sip and feeling the warmth of it burn as it travelled down her throat and into her gut.

“Just don’t make me have to call the chirurgeon.” He finally sighed, and picked up the glass and took a sip for himself as they waited for the soup to warm, both ignoring the rising sexual tension between them as they realised that they were here, alone, with a bed in close proximity, and no other interruptions or distractions. After a couple of minutes a small song chirped from the containers, and Aymeric pulled the foil off the containers and placed one in front of her, at least helping to allay the growing heat between them.

“Thanks, Gods I’m starved.” Finks said, ripping into one of the kaiser rolls – still soft and slightly warm – and dunking part of it into the rich warm soup, stuffing it into her mouth with a satisfied moan. She looked up and giggled at Aymeric’s reaction to her appetite, his mouth hanging open in surprise, and maybe a touch of something else in his eyes at her lusty reaction to the food. Finks winked at him, but didn’t say anything else, instead concentrating on eating the wonderful soup in front of her – rich and earthy and reminding her of a happier, more loved time – and Aymeric eventually joined in, maybe with a touch more finesse in his eating habits, as they ate in companionable silence for a few minutes.

“So you know Haurchefant well then?” Finks finally asked, breaking the silence after they had both served their immediate hunger, now taking smaller bites as she continued to eat.

“Yes, actually he was training to be a Knight at the same time as Estinien and I, but then he… got into an argument with the Chief and, well, decided to channel his energies elsewhere. Shame really, he’s one hell of a fighter, but we’ve all remained close friends nevertheless.” Aymeric replied, and Finks nodded, laughing.

“Yeah I remember watching him kick the ass of a punter that took offence at one of his staff saying ‘no’ one time. It was hilarious and scarily competent in equal measure.”

“That sums up Haurchefant pretty well as a descriptor, yes.”

Finks laughed again at that, even as Aymeric smirked, taking another spoonful of soup.

“So how long have you been around Neo-Ishgard for then? I can’t remember seeing you around here, and you’re not a local.” Aymeric asked, somewhat hesitantly but trying to pass it off at a casual question. Finks gave him a calculated stare and took a sip of her whiskey.

“I would have assumed that you already knew the answer to that.” She said slowly, warily, and he blushed slightly.

“Shall we cut the bullshit? You’re a Knight so I assume you have the ability to data-scrape me if you wished to. So, I assume you know.” Finks said nonchalantly, her confident tone belying the small tremble of fear that trickled through her heart and the way her heart beat just a little faster. She felt like she could trust this elezen before her, but her feelings had played her false before. Aymeric sighed and put the spoon down for a second, taking another sip of his whiskey as he regarded her, his blue eyes searching her face and seeming to choose his words carefully.

“If you’re talking about the fact that you’re probably a Resistant, yes I know. If you’re referring to if I know about how long you’ve been in the city? I have no idea past a rough estimate.” He replied slowly and deliberately, and Finks thought about it for a few heartbeats, taking the opportunity to dip yet another section of soft kaiser roll into the blood red soup.

“For the record, it’s none of my business if you’re a Resistant or not. Your secret – such as it is – is safe with me.” He added softly and Finks nodded again, this time looking up at him gratefully, and brushing her hand against his in thanks. The contact left levin rushing across her fingertips where she had touched his skin, and she pulled back swiftly as the tension that had been present between them previously came back with full force at that contact.

“I’ve been in the city for about a year now. Needed a change of scene.” Finks finally answered, settling for not entirely the truth but not entirely a lie either. “I met Haurchefant fairly shortly after arriving, interviewed for a job with him actually, but he declined – citing better uses for someone of my martial skills than dancing for his punters. He probably also realised fairly early on that my temper would become a problem.”

“Ah… that explains the comment about seeing you in your underwear earlier.”

“Does it now?” Finks asked teasingly, a smirk on her face, and Aymeric’s eyes went wide with surprise, a hint of curiosity shining in those beautiful blue eyes.

“Joking, yes you’re correct,” She replied, “and since then he’s given me a few jobs here and there, mostly revolving around stuff that I guess the Knights can’t officially get involved in.”

“Like the one for our dear own Francel.”

“Yes, including that one. Which reminds me – are you really going to get in trouble for getting involved in that? I’ll admit that the remit for the Knights in this city is intriguing for what is supposed to be the peacekeeping force of a nation.”

“Neo-Ishgard is… unusual, let’s say. Theoretically the Knights can investigate whatever we want if it disrupts the peace of the city. However, it’s the corporations that pay us, so…”

“… if they say stop…”

“…we stop.”

Finks grunted at that, scraping up the last of her soup with a final kaiser roll and popping it in her mouth, groaning at the soft bread soaked in warm soup, still as delicious as the first bite.

“But you don’t really stop, do you?” Finks asked curiously, and Aymeric smirked.

“Not some of us, no. We just have to be a bit more… circumspect. Given my special circumstance, I have the dubious honour of having to be a little more circumspect than the others.”

“Interesting tightrope you must find yourself on, then.”

“Indeed.” Aymeric replied, and then his face became thoughtful once more. “By the way, what was that capsule that you found earlier, after we took down that beast?”

Finks realised that she had totally forgotten about that, and took her pouch off her waist, laying it on the counter top and carefully taking out the small dart to examine it under a nearby lamp sat by the counter top.

“I’m not sure, some kind of self-injecting projectile? I saw the dart hit the inquisitor as I approached – seemed to be coming from somewhere high, outside of the construction yard given the angle, but didn’t see much else before whatever liquid was in it got injected into his neck and he turned into… whatever that was that we fought.” Finks mused and held the dart out for Aymeric to inspect. He leant down, gently holding her hand and tilting it so he could get a better view, and Finks saw his eyes glaze over like they had back in the construction yard when he had informed them of the approaching soldiers. Accessing the Aethernet then, she thought and looked closely into his eyes as he was lost in himself, curious as to whether she could see anything herself.

The only discernible difference was that one of his eyes seemed slightly brighter than usual, maybe a touch of electric blue forming a moving ring around the outside of his cornea. As she watched it dissipate, she blushed slightly as she realised just how close she was to him, leaning towards him and staring into his eyes, lips mere ilms apart. He came out of his search with an amused expression on his face as she jerked back, and she noticed the fingers of his other hand twitch, as if he were going to reach forward and caress her face, before he let his fingers fall to the counter held in a loose fist.

“I can’t tell anything with an initial search – no identifying features that will tell me where it may have come from, which is odd in of itself.”

“And the liquid inside? Kind of scary if it can just turn someone into _that_.” Finks asked, and he shook his head.

“No idea. Also not sure if it’s just temporary or actually linked to being alive in some way, given that he changed back upon death, or if it was somehow specifically something within him that was triggered, or would have worked on anyone.”

“Gods, can you imagine if that worked on any one of us? A city of those monsters running around?” Finks shuddered at the thought, and Aymeric grimaced.

“Do you mind if I take it to be analysed at one of the Knight labs?” Aymeric asked and Finks placed it down on the counter and slid it over to his side.

“Not like I’m going to be able to do anything myself with it.” She shrugged, and he nodded and wrapped it in a napkin and put it away in a small pouch on his belt.

Hunger sated, and suddenly feeling the strain in her back after their strenuous night, Finks leant back from the counter over which they had been hunched, stretching and groaning after eating maybe too many kaiser rolls than was realistically good for her. A slight noise emanated from Aymeric and she looked over and smirked as she saw the look of naked lust on his face as he watched her roll her body in front of him, trying to get rid of the kinks and aches remaining after their adventures. His hot gaze followed her curves, running up her body until he looked directly into her eyes, before tearing himself away with a low, clipped murmur of a curse as she smirked at him, her own desire mounting dangerously.

“Well, I’m going to have a shower, feel free to use it after me if you’d like.” Finks said, looking at her still matted muddy hair with disgust and then, with a mischievous smile, she started to peel her jacket off in front of him while keeping eye contact and watching his pupils dilate at her movements.

“Yes, please, I want that.” He said, his eyes narrowing as he continued to watch her as she bent down to slowly peel off her thigh-high boots, leaving her in her skirt and a small cropped tank top that she reached up to remove also, noticing the hitch in his breath as her hands skimmed over her bared abdomen to grip the bottom of the fabric.

“The shower? Or…” Finks suggested, pulling her top over her head and throwing it on the mounting pile of clothes behind her. Aymeric didn’t reply, instead giving her a wicked grin as he raised one eyebrow in response, his blue eyes glowing with lust as he watched her pull her skirt down slowly, leaving her standing once more in her bra and knickers in front of him. Finks suppressed a shudder of desire at the expression of want on his face and strolled to the bathroom, thrilled at the slight groan she heard emanating from his lips as she walked away from him for the third time this night.

“Hate to see you leave…” She heard him murmur behind her, quoting part of that famous phrase and sighing lustily, and she chuckled as she stepped into the bathroom and shut the door behind her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For anyone who may not know and is interested, the full phrase is something along the lines of "Hate to see you leave, love to watch you go" ;)


	9. Control

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> CW: Explicit language, sexual teasing and sexual tension. 
> 
> Psst... hey you, yeah you... wanna join an amazing server full of inspiring and enabling peeps? Then come join us at [Emet-Selch's Wholesomely Debauched and Enabling Book Club](https://discord.gg/jcgKuYs)
> 
> Hey! Also, so... err... if you're interested in possibly, potentially, peripherally reading any of my original work then you can find it [here](https://www.wattpad.com/user/Finksalion). Thank you for your support! <3

Finks stood at the bank of monitors, her long turquoise hair wet and hanging down her back, dressed in a simple vest and a pair of light cotton shorts. The light from the neon sign outside her window cast a greenish glow across her skin and she could hear the water splashing from the shower, where Aymeric was currently washing the dirt and grime of the night from himself. Trying hard not to think about his naked body under her showerhead, she instead concentrated on scrolling through local news articles, to determine if anything similar had been reported. Funnily enough, there was no reports of people turning into massive dragon-type monsters, but then she expected as much – if that had been witnesses at some point in the past then she’d imagine that it would have been reported by every news outlet from the Pillars to the Brume.

She heard the water shut off in the bathroom across the room and immediately tensed, then forced herself to relax as she heard the door behind her open. She turned from the bank of monitors in front of her, and felt her jaw drop slightly as Aymeric walked in, a towel wrapped around his waist, water still dripping from his hair and skin, his muscled chest flexing and twisting as he held his filthy clothes in one hand as he ran his other through his wet hair.

“Don’t suppose you have a washing unit?” He asked and she nodded and gestured to the white plastic chest sat next to her fridge watching his every move with enthusiasm, muscles rippling and tensing, the green light from outside reflecting off his still damp skin.

“It’s old but it works.” Finks said, and he nodded and filled the machine as she leant back on the shelf that held her monitors with a smile on her face.

“Hmm… house trained, I see.” She observed as he adjusted the towel around his waist, tucking it a little tighter as he laughed and walked over to where she stood by the monitors. She watched him approach, an easy smile on his face, his blue eyes glinting in the sharp neon glow filtering through from the window.

“In many ways, I can assure you.” He responded as he approached, and before she knew it he was looming over her, his hands perched on either side of the monitor shelf, caging her in place as he gazed down at her with those gorgeous blue eyes. Finks had to lean back to stop her face from planting into his chest, and she looked up and into those eyes for a few heartbeats, feeling her own wildly beating in her ribcage.

“What have you been looking at, if you don’t mind me asking?” Aymeric said, and grinned at her confused expression, nodding his head towards the monitors. Finks realised what he was referring to and turned around between his arms to face the screen. She couldn’t help but notice the way his eyelids fluttered as her bare skin brushed against his chest as she turned, and smirked slightly as she felt her ass cheeks brush against his groin.

“I was looking to see if there had been any more instances of people turning into monsters reported in the city, but came up with a blank – not surprising really.” Finks said, scrolling through a few of the news sites she had been browsing.

“I would have thought that whoever came up with this – whatever it is – would have tested it before, but then maybe we were the lucky test subject.” Aymeric mused and Finks nodded, leaning back slightly against his chest as she considered it.

“Maybe we’re looking at this the wrong way. Maybe we shouldn’t be looking for a monster but for the potential victims.” Finks thought aloud.

“Hmmm.. How’s your security?” Aymeric asked, and Finks grinned up at him. He chuckled and then shifted behind her, reaching one arm forward to tap at the keyboard in front of her, deftly logging into the Knight database with a few taps and security strokes. She watched his forearm flex and coil as he typed, and she tore her eyes away from his muscular arm as his search displayed on the monitor.

“Wow, that’s a lot of missing people.” Finks breathed as the screen started to scroll. Aymeric cursed lightly, and then tapped a few more times on the keyboard, this time the data starting to coalesce into a map of Neo-Ishgard, dots for all the locations of missing people noted in the previous view. Maybe to be expected, there was a large cluster of glowing dots around the Brume area.

“I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised by the results of that.” Finks said sadly and Aymeric grunted above her, shutting down the search and logging out of the database, automatically wiping the browsing history almost by auto-pilot and she couldn’t help but snort in amusement as he subconsciously leant down and nuzzled her wet hair, his eyes deep in thought.

“Oh Fury, sorry I…” He said as he realised what he had been doing, and Finks chuckled, eyes alighting as she had a wicked idea. She knew that forming a serious relationship with this elezen was dangerous, but maybe a little bit of fun wasn’t out of the question. She pushed down the part of her brain that warned that one may lead to the other; she told herself she could control her emotions, despite all evidence to the contrary.

“No, it’s fine. Come with me.” Finks said, taking one of his hands and ducking under his arm, dragging him over to the bed and sitting him down on the edge. His features covered in curiosity, he leant back on the bed, his legs spreading apart slightly as he watched Finks stroll back over to her computer set up and soft sultry music emanated from the speakers dotted around the large room.

Turning back to him as the music started to play, she strutted back to where he sat with one lip caught between her teeth, even as her hands began to brush lightly against her body. Aymeric’s breath hitched as he watched her approach, and this time Finks let that golden connection between them re-forge, stronger than ever, as she started to sway her hips in front of him, stepping closer and closer until she was near enough to reach out and touch him if she had wanted to. She didn’t though, instead stepping between his legs and crouching her body down until her face was level with his even as her hands cupped her breasts over her vest top, pushing them together for an instant before stretching back up again as her hands now travelled to her hips and down her thighs, in time with the music.

“Figured I’d finish that dance I promised you, given that you saved my life tonight.” Finks exhaled as her hands trailed up her body, her hips swaying from side to side, watching his reactions through hooded eyes as he traced her movements with his pupils blown wide open. Finks then smiled mischievously and placed her hands lightly on his shoulders, stepping closer yet again and rolling her chest forward right in front of his face as her legs brushed against his inner thighs, moving the towel up his legs as she moved closer.

“And then some.” She then whispered into his ear, leaning forward and letting the side of her breast brush against his chest as her breath tickled against his skin. Aymeric took a deep shuddering breath and made the most wonderful noise at her movements, and as she leant back again to dance he made a move to grab her hips but she ducked out of the way.

“You know the rules Aymeric, only I’m allowed to touch while I dance.” Finks admonished him and once again leant forward until her lips almost touched his, brushing past his open mouth so very lightly, even as her hands reached out and delicately tickled over his abdomen, drawing a low growl from him at the sensation. Her fingers felt like levin crackling across his skin, and she grinned into his mouth as she felt her own desire rush from her fingers to her core at the soft caress.

“That hardly seems fair.” He grunted, his usually smooth and honeyed timbre roughened with want, his voice shaking slightly at the effort it took to control himself.

“Who said anything about fair?” She whispered, opening her mouth and slanting it across his in an echo of a kiss before pulling back and continuing to dance in front of him, taunting him, teasing him, as he watched with baited breath. She turned at one point, her back to him as she continued to writhe between his legs and twisted her back and neck so she could watch his devastating expressions of need. As she gazed at him with her bottom lip between her teeth, she slowly lowered herself onto his lap, her arse ilms away from his groin as she began to grind and sway and rock back and forth, chuckling as he gritted his teeth and hissed, his hands clenching and fisting the sheets on her bed in order to stop himself from touching her, grabbing her, taking her.

Finks looked down and realised with a start just how much she may have made him suffer when she realised the large bulge rising between his legs under the towel. She was so very close to it, and it was her turn to restrain herself as she realised that all she wanted to do was reach down and touch him, feel him in her hands, in her mouth, in her aching cunt. She shuddered and moaned aloud, making him groan in turn at the noises she made, and she turned once more, hands once again resting lightly on his shoulders.

“Fury woman, you’re driving me crazy.” He breathed, looking up at her, barely any blue of his eyes showing for the dark lust that replaced it, and she smiled, her own breaths coming hot and fast as her desire rose. Enough teasing, she thought as she shook her head through her haze of longing, and she pushed him back further on the bed, straddling his thighs and holding her hips above him as her hands caressed up over his shoulders and entwined at the back of his neck. His eyes widened at the movement, and then his head slammed back and his eyes rolled in his head as she ground down ever so lightly on his crotch, moaning at the feel of him brushing against her.

“Gods Aymeric, I want you so bad.” Finks whined, rolling her hips back and forth on his growing length, causing him to tremble and gasp underneath her.

“Finks… I…” He stuttered, hands still clenched into the sheets, gritting his teeth and closing his eyes as he tried desperately to control himself.

“Touch me.” She crooned, and that was enough for his hands to move immediately to her hips with bruising force, his fingers gripping her skin, holding her in place as he looked at her with hot pleading eyes, promising much but holding back still.

“Tell me now if you don’t want this to go any further tonight and I will stop, by the Fury, _I will stop_.” He said through gritted teeth, eyes closed and his voice low as he fought to control himself. Finks looked at him with affection, brushing his clenched jaw with one finger and watching it ripple under the force of his self-discipline. It was a wondrous thing to behold, this amazing control that he exhibited, but it wasn’t what Finks wanted right now and so she bent down and once again brushed her lips faintly over his, barely touching, feeling his own lips open and follow hers with a soft growl of want as they both breathed the same air.

“I want you to take me, Aymeric, over and over, right now, _please_.” She moaned into his mouth, and then closed her lips over his as she felt his hands tighten on her, pulling her down onto his lap, hard, and then wrapping around her waist as he kissed her desperately, as if he was starved of oxygen and she was his only source of air.


	10. Release

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> CW: Explicit language, oral sex (both cunnilingus and fellatio), vaginal fingering, vaginal penetration, light spanking, vaginal stretch, some sexual teasing and begging.
> 
> Psst... hey you, yeah you... wanna join an amazing server full of inspiring and enabling peeps? Then come join us at [Emet-Selch's Wholesomely Debauched and Enabling Book Club](https://discord.gg/jcgKuYs)
> 
> Hey! Also, so... err... if you're interested in possibly, potentially, peripherally reading any of my original work then you can find it [here](https://www.wattpad.com/user/Finksalion). Thank you for your support! <3

They kissed as if possessed, taking the odd deep breath before diving in for more, tongues entwining and hands exploring each other. Almost as if their bodies remembered their place from back in the alley, one of his hands reached for her ass and pulled her closer as she reached behind him and caressed his back, hand dipping under the towel every now and then to brush against the top of his ass. His other hand moved up her back to grasp at the nape of her neck, pulling it slightly to the side as he dragged his mouth away from hers to kiss down her neck, paying particular attention to the dip in her throat. His tongue lightly feathered across her skin, drawing moans from her at the feel of him against her skin, and she rolled her hips against him again as she gasped, causing him to remove his mouth and groan in tandem.

“Your skin is so beautiful, I just want to kiss it, worship it, all night.” He breathed, pulling her vest up and over her head before he leant forward and sucked one nipple into his warm mouth, running his tongue lightly around the hardening nub as his fingers reached up to circle and lightly pinch the other nipple. Finks groaned at the sensations he pulled from her breasts, her hips thrusting unintentionally against his rock hard shaft as she felt her cunt moistening at his words and his actions both. He removed his lips from her nipple, taking a deep breath at the sensation of her hips rolling against him, and looked up at her with lust-filled eyes before growling at her.

Before she knew it Finks was flipped over on the bed with a surprised gasp, now pinned underneath him as his body lay between her spread legs, as he held her hips in place. He gazed at her for a heartbeat, two heartbeats, before kissing her deeply, his tongue flickering against hers and then sucking on her lower lip. He made his way ever so slowly down her body with soft kisses, light licks of tongue and gentle nips of teeth tracing a pattern down her neck, between her breasts, diverting to suck on one nipple, then the other, before continuing on his path. She tried to move, to grind, to do anything to satisfy the building ache in her cunt, but his strong hands held her hips firmly in place, denying her gratification.

“Aymeric, please…” She begged and he looked up from where he had been grazing at the soft flesh of her stomach, his eyes wicked and hot with passion. Finks felt her stomach flip at the devastating look he directed at her, and a fresh wave of desire flooded through her, causing her to moan louder.

“Feel free to beg more, my dear. However, I do believe I warned you about where your teasing might get you.” Aymeric purred, the promise of revenge realised, and his mouth once again descended to graze against her skin as she shivered in response. Slowly, ever so torturously slowly, his lips moved lower, providing those small nips and licks that teased her so much, and as his mouth hovered over her aching core he hooked his fingers into the waistband of her shorts and pulled them off her legs, before one hand moved to her stomach, holding her down gently, and the other moved to her thigh, pulling her legs apart.

“Beautiful.” He whispered, gazing at her slick folds with a hunger in his eyes, his voice rough and low and full of desire. Finks moaned again, raising her head to watch him, and then dropped it back down again as he ignored her cunt entirely, instead dropping small soft kisses down one thigh and then up the other, his tongue then circling her flesh at the top of her thigh where it met her apex, his hands still holding her down and refusing to let her move.

“Oh Gods, _please Aymeric_!” Finks cried out, begging again, now beyond any ability to resist or hide her desires, and Aymeric growled once more, his lips curling into a lascivious smile. He licked once, lightly, up her slit, with barely any pressure and Finks would have jumped at the beautiful sensation and the rush of ecstasy it afforded to her, but for his hands holding her in place. Instead she was left wanting once more, small moans and begs of need emanating from her lips, no longer caring about pride, just wanting this gorgeous elezen between her thighs desperately.

“More?” He asked, licking delicately again and making her whine as she tried to grind against his tongue, but restrained in place by his firm hand on her stomach.

“Yes, oh fuck yes, please Aymeric, I want to feel your tongue on me, your fingers in me, your cock… Oh _please_!” Finks begged desperately, and that seemed to be the trigger for Aymeric to lose his composure entirely, and he dove into her waiting cunt with a fierce hunger unlike anything she had ever known. He sucked at her lips, his tongue diving deep within and licking at her inner folds, before he started to fuck her with his tongue, his nose nuzzling at her clit and causing her to jump and moan and writhe, her hands buried in his tousled raven hair as she felt her pleasure crackle and roll through her, all focusing on that point where his tongue met her skin. 

Even as his tongue found her clit and started to flick lightly against it, he brought his hand from her thigh to between her legs and slowly slipped two fingers into her aching slit, crooking them slightly, seeking and then finding that spot that seemed to make her quake in bliss. It was almost too much, and as he added a third finger, stretching her wide, she exploded and his hand on her stomach was no longer enough to keep her down as she arched her back off the bed and came hard on his fingers, screaming her pleasure as stars floated behind her tightly closed eyelids at the sensations coursing through her body.

He licked lightly at her folds and thighs, licking up all of her juices, causing her to moan anew at the slight overstimulation, before she felt him move from between her legs and heard him chuckle in a low tone as she slowly started to come down from her orgasm. She opened her eyes to see him now lying beside her, watching her face with pleasure as one hand stroked his aching cock, his expression rapt.

“Gods… that was…” Finks started, and then faded off, instead pulling him down to kiss him once more in lieu of words that would suffice. She could taste herself on him, which only served to arouse her further, and she pushed him onto his back as she straddled his chest and kissed him deeply, as she felt his hands once again on her hips, fingers lightly brushing up and down her side.

“Enjoyable, I hope?” He asked, a small smile on his lips and she grinned widely, kissing him again and slapping his arm lightly.

“Understatement.” She replied, chuckling, and then started to crawl down the bed, keeping her eyes on his as she made her way lower and lower, pausing every now and then to kiss at his broad muscular chest, and then again at his abdominal muscles, licking down his treasure trail, before she settled between his muscular thighs. Purring at his thick cock, she licked from the base to his tip, laving her tongue over the copious pre-cum that had gathered at his slit, and smirking as he dropped his head to the pillow beneath him, his cock twitching under her tongue.

“Fuck!” He cursed, deep and low, and Finks chuckled again.

“Good?” She asked, smirking again and running her tongue around his tip, pulling his foreskin down and pumping a couple of times for good measure. He groaned and lifted his head again, his eyes once again darkened with lust; fierce, animalistic even.

“Again.” He growled, and she grinned, and once again licked slowly from the base of his thick aching cock to the very tip, watching with delight as another bead of translucent pre-cum gathered on the tip. This time, she stretched her mouth over his cock head and sucked lightly, drawing a low growl from him as she felt his hands tangle in her hair. There was no pressure there though, just fingers drawing through the strands of her hair, holding it away from her face so he could see more clearly what she was doing.

She removed her mouth from his cock with a grin, licking the head lightly once more, and he whined involuntarily, his hips lifting slightly to follow her mouth, and her smirk widened at that movement. She stroked him again, her hand firm on the soft skin of his shaft, hovering her mouth over his head once more and feeling his cock twitch again as it brushed against her lips. Tracing her mouth lightly down his cock as she continued to stroke up and down with her hand, she nuzzled at the base where his cock met his balls, and he groaned once more as her other hand reached up to stroke across his sack, tugging ever so lightly as she continued to nuzzle.

“Again, _please_.” He whispered, his voice hoarse with lust, and she peeked at him over his cock, watching those beautifully blue eyes of his wide with pleading, slightly glazed and pupils dilated.

“Your begging is almost as pretty as your eyes.” Finks replied and he huffed, eyes rolling back into his head as she once again licked slowly up his cock and sucked his head into her mouth, bobbing a couple of times as he groaned with desire, that honeyed voice even more glorious when fuelled by lust.

Never patient enough to be a full tease, especially with such a lovely cock in front of her, Finks moaned around his aching shaft and started to bob a little deeper, using her hand to echo the movements of her mouth where it couldn’t reach. Reaching a little further, swallowing a bit more, she could hear his deep ragged breaths at her stimulation, and she started to lightly twist her hand on the base of his shaft, even as her other hand continued to stimulate and tug on his balls, reaching down every now and then to stroke along his perineum. She felt him jump every time she stroked along that sensitive skin, forcing his cock a little further into her mouth.

As her lips next closed around his head on the upstroke, she let her tongue dance around her lips, wetting them thoroughly before swallowing down once more, this time further than she had ever managed, and the howl of desire that she drew forth from his lungs made her burn with passion. With that song of his in her head, she began to furiously suck and bob and lick on his shaft, her core thrilling at every grunt and moan she managed to pull from him, delighting in the twitch of his cock in her mouth, or the erratic thrust of his hips as he came closer to his release.

“Fury, Finks, I’m close!” He panted as she continued to pleasure him with her mouth, and at hearing his longing she doubled her efforts, a smug grin on her lips and a curl of satisfaction within her core as she felt him explode, his cock throbbing in her throat as his seed spilled out from his head and she swallowed as much of it as she could before it started to dribble out of the side of her mouth. She moaned as she finally removed her lips from him after his final thrust, wiping her fingers across her mouth to collect all of his escaped seed before licking it off her fingers, watching him the entire time. He moaned as he watched her suck his spend from her digits, and she noted with further satisfaction that he twitched at the sight.

Crawling back up the bed to lay at his side, she looked over at him with a soft smile as she traced patterns across his chest, even as he hugged her close, his breath finally evening out, his hand lightly resting on her arm as it resumed its movements.

“Remind me to tease you more if that’s where it gets me.” Aymeric said wryly and Finks chuckled, her hands tracing patterns lower and lower, still feeling that strange levin touch at their intersections as she continued to draw on his skin. He turned slightly to face her, grabbing the hand that had been drawing on his skin in his own large hand and pulling it to his chest as his other hand tipped her jaw up to look into his glowing eyes.

“You are phenomenal.” He said softly, and she felt her eyes widen at the emotion in his voice, her heart taking a leap in her chest, and then she looked away as she bit on her lip.

“You know this is a one-time thing, right? Just for this night?” She whispered, her sharp uncaring tone belying the fluttering deep within her, before feeling him turn her head back to face him, looking into her green eyes, searching for something, although she wasn’t sure for what. He sighed finally, although it didn’t seem to be laced with any particularly negative emotion, perhaps a sense of regret if anything. He then leant forward and kissed her lingeringly, tenderly, softly, before pulling away and gazing into her eyes once more with affection.

“Then we’d best make it count.” He replied, before reaching forward to kiss her once more, soft kisses leading to more passionate, desperate embraces, leading once more to grabbing, groping, pulling at each other in a bid to feel closer, ever closer. Breaking off to take deep trembling breaths of air, Finks’ eyes widened as she felt him hard once more against her thigh. She looked up at him with a raised eyebrow and he laughed in response.

“Benefits of a stamina enhancement.” He replied to her unasked question and she chuckled low even as she kissed him again, pushing him onto his back and climbing on top of him, kissing him once more before sitting up, rubbing the tip of his once more hard cock against her wet slit, both groaning at the sensation.

“Better test it out then, in the interests of science.” She grinned, her hands resting on his chest as she rocked back and forth lightly, watching him shudder as his pupils started to disappear as his lust once again took over.

“Of course.” He replied, his voice once again tinged with that gravelled tone as his hands reached out to cup her breasts, holding her steady above him, his fingers every now and then brushing her nipples as she slowly began to push his thick cock into her aching cunt.

It was going to take a while – even without the size difference between the two of them, he was thicker and longer than average, and while the glorious foreplay they had indulged in would certainly help, she would still need to take it slow. She whined as she felt the head of his cock stretch her lips out, sinking down a couple of ilms before stopping and breathing heavily. She could feel him throb and twitch within her, his eyes hot and heavy as he bit his lip and restrained himself from just thrusting up into her.

“Fuck, Finks, you’re so tight!” He growled, and she whined once again, pulling up until just the tip rested within her before sinking down again, an ilm or two further this time. Pausing once more, feeling his cock stretching her out so fully, it was unlike anything else she had experienced, and she could feel herself shaking with the effort, her juices gushing at the sensations it was pulling from her.

“Ah, you feel so good Aymeric, so thick…” She crooned, dropping down another ilm, and he growled, grasping her breasts, even as Finks reached down with her hand to see how much she had left to go. Gods, another three to four ilms; she didn’t know if she could manage it, but she was damn well going to give it a good go, and before she could even reconsider she pulled herself back up again a little bit, and then slammed her hips down with some force this time, wailing as she pierced herself further onto his hard shaft. At the rapid thrust, Aymeric cursed again, his head slamming back into the bed once more as the sensations ripped through him, his hands moving from her breasts to her hips as he held himself in her, gripping tight.

“More!” She gasped, more at herself than at Aymeric, and swiftly pulled herself back up and slammed herself back down again, her hips finally meeting his, taking him all in as she screamed and orgasmed at the sensation of fullness within her. Any lingering pain at the force at which she took him was drowned under the depths of her orgasm, and he groaned and held her tight as she clenched and fluttered around him. As she came down from her high, he reached up and brushed her hair from her face, looking up at her with concern.

“Are you okay?” He asked and she nodded and then grinned at him mischievously, rolling her hips in a circular motion even as his hard shaft was buried fully in her, drawing another delicious moan from his lips.

“I want you to fuck me hard, Aymeric, do you think you can do that?” She asked with a wicked smile on her face, and he growled at her like a feral beast, which made her moan all the more. With one flex of his arms he had pulled her off him and she moaned at being so shockingly empty once more. Flipping her over on the bed and pulling her hips up to kneel, Finks couldn’t help but whine once more, earning her a low chuckle.

“Patience, my dear Finks.” He murmured, and then she felt the tip of him touch her, rubbing against her slick folds before slowly pushing back in, filling her with one smooth long slow stroke. Grabbing her hips once more, he began to thrust into her with increasing force whilst still keeping the same relatively slow tempo.

“More.” She begged once more, her voice as breathy and needy as she could make it, and she smiled at the sharp intake of breath that came from him at her pleading voice, and the slight increase to his tempo, the slight increase in the sharpness of his thrust.

“Please Aymeric, fuck me harder.” She breathed again, this time earning herself a sharp slap across her ass cheek as he began to pound into her even harder, even faster. She gasped at the sting of it, more of her juices gushing at the sensation it afforded, and couldn’t help but chuckle as she felt his fingers grip into her with bruising force.

“Fury you’re such a minx.” He breathed sharply, and she chuckled again.

Before long, he was thrusting into her with such force that she had to grab the sheet to hold herself steady under his glorious assault, and all she could manage was moans and cries and whimpers as he stretched and filled her so deliciously. A thin sheet of sweat glistened across her skin, making everything slick, and she could feel her orgasm building again, but he showed no sign of his impending release, and she wondered just how far the stamina enhancement could go. She didn’t have the ability to think on it any further though, as she felt her ecstasy rising to the surface, that delicious heat pooling at her core and then bursting forth through the rest of her, toes curling and cunt clamping down on his thick shaft as she screamed once more. She would have collapsed under him were it not for his hands holding her in place, as strong as that orgasm was, and she could feel him panting with need above her, straining to remain still as she came down from her orgasm.

“Fury, you’re so beautiful when you come.” He grunted, his voice low and consumed with lust. He pulled out and flipped her over under him, and she marvelled once again at his control as he gazed down at her, skin slick with sweat, hair tousled and eyes dark with need. He was wrecked, barely holding it together, and she could see his eyes flutter with ecstasy as he plunged back into her, filling her once more, as she wrapped her legs up around his waist and pulled him in further, her hands reaching down to grab his ass cheeks and anchor his cock in her as far it would go.

“Come in me, Aymeric, let me feel you release and throb inside me.” Finks whispered up to him, licking across his hard chest and relishing in the taste of salt on her tongue. With that, he groaned and started to thrust like a man possessed, building Finks up for another toe curling orgasm as he fucked her hard and fast, slamming into her again and again. One hand balanced on the bed, he roped the other hand around her back and pulled her close to his chest, lifting her torso off the bed and panting harshly as his thrusts became erratic and furious in the wake of his impending orgasm.

“Fuck, Finks!” He roared as he came inside her, holding her tight to his chest as he pumped into her, throbbing deep within as he released rope after rope of his seed into her. It was enough to send Finks off the edge again, and she screamed his name in pleasure, the shout mingling with his as they both arched back, still joined at the hip, straining to squeeze every last onze of pleasure out of their union.

Rolling to the side, pulling out of her and earning a small final squeak of pleasure at the sensation, Aymeric pulled her close and hugged her as they both recovered from the height of their passions. As they lay in her bed, sweaty and slightly sticky, the light from outside – now a bright neon pink – splashed across their exhausted bodies, Finks sighed contentedly, listening to Aymeric’s heart beat steadily once more in his chest.

“Are you sure you want this to be a one-time thing?” Aymeric asked teasingly, softly, and Finks chuckled.

“Night’s not over yet. Hope your stamina enhancement is up for round two when we’re done tidying up a bit.” Finks replied, kissing the tip of his nose before extricating herself from his arms and making her way to the bathroom.

“Fury take me.” She heard him moan.

“She can wait her turn. I'm not done with you yet.” She replied as she looked over her shoulder at him with an impish grin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The idea of the "Fury/Halone take me", "She can get in line/wait her turn" exchange is courtesy of the wonderful peeps in the book club, love you all <3


	11. Comedown

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> CW: Explicit language, mentions/remembrances of sex (including oral sex, vaginal sex, stretch), alcohol use
> 
> Psst... hey you, yeah you... wanna join an amazing server full of inspiring and enabling peeps? Then come join us at [Emet-Selch's Wholesomely Debauched and Enabling Book Club](https://discord.gg/jcgKuYs)
> 
> Hey! Also, so... err... if you're interested in possibly, potentially, peripherally reading any of my original work then you can find it [here](https://www.wattpad.com/user/Finksalion). Thank you for your support! <3

That gloriously intense night with Aymeric had actually ended up lasting well into the early afternoon of the next day. She had lost count of the numbers of times they had fucked over the 12 hour period that he had spent in her apartment, each time as glorious as the last. In between their tumultuous sessions of fucking, they had either spent their time with his mouth between her legs, or her lips or hands on his ever-firm cock. What words that did pass their lips were usually soft compliments and encouragements, moans and utterances of pleasure, or more begging and teasing, which they both seemed to enjoy wringing from each other at every opportunity. What hadn’t passed their lips was any talk of the future, or trying to convince Finks to change her mind on the terms of this engagement after that first teasing question, for which Finks was immensely grateful.

By the time the sun was high in the sky on the day after their first meeting, they were both fully spent, taking his stamina enhancement to the very limit of its capabilities. They had devolved into soft kisses and lazy sex, each not really willing to call it over as they uttered ‘just once more’ time and again to each other in those final hours. Finks had stuck fast to her declaration, but every time he had fucked her she had for a moment considered throwing it all away, throwing away her plans that she had worked on for so many years, throwing away the oath she had sworn to her brother, just so she could lay in Aymeric’s arms instead and experience this bliss for as long as it would last. She had been right, he was dangerous, but not for the usual reasons.

When they had finally pronounced their time together as done he had given her one long last deep kiss, a regretful sigh hovering on his lips. As he pulled his clothes on Finks had shivered, telling herself that the way her chest ached was just a side effect of their strenuous activities, the fight with the monster and her resulting injuries, nothing more. Aymeric had called the chirurgeon to confirm that he had seen none of the symptoms she had discussed with him and declaring his intention to leave Finks’ side. He had not mentioned the glass or two of whiskey that they had shared together throughout the night, neither had he mentioned the rampant sex that they had partook in.

The chirurgeon seemed happy enough to let Finks go un-monitored from now on, but she had also told Finks in no uncertain terms to let her know if anything started to hurt unduly. Finks smirked and declined to mention the deliciously deep aches from which she was suffering due to Aymeric’s thick cock – she didn’t think that was what the chirurgeon was referring to.

Finally, as Aymeric had made to leave, he had asked if she wanted his tomestone details so he could let her know about any findings in the Francel case, specifically with respects to the dart she had found. She hesitated for a split-second, but agreed and they had swapped details. If nothing else it would be handy to have the name and details of a trusted and un-corrupt Knight in the city she told herself, ignoring the fact that she already had the details of her friend Lucia in her tomestone. Then he had walked out of the door and Finks had flopped back into the bed and slept for the rest of the day and night, her dreams filled with their delicious lovemaking and words better left unsaid.

The next day, Finks had eaten more of the leftover beet soup, trained hard, and tried to stop thinking about Aymeric’s tongue against her skin. By the end of the day she was sore in a very different way, overworked muscles aching and burning with the force of her workout. She was still thinking about the way his cock stretched her out though, so she ended the day with a 10 malm run around the streets of her neighbourhood, running until her legs were jelly and her mind was blank, unable to think about anything other than her next breath. The distraction was welcome, and by the time she got home, exhausted with her sweat freezing against her skin, she felt somewhat like normal again, and was able to think of the handsome detective without immediately itching to invite him back over again. She jumped into the shower and then fell into bed, her fatigue helping her to have a dreamless sleep, for which she was grateful.

The next morning she awoke late and with the sun shining through the window and hitting her face, relishing in the warmth it imparted, relaxed and feeling a little more herself. Her muscles were sore and aching, but in that way that indicated a good workout the previous day, and as she considered what she wanted to do with the day, she heard a chirp from her tomestone – indicating a message from her friend and sometime employer, Hilda. Asking if Finks was free for lunch, and mentioning a job she may be interested in, Finks accepted and hopped in the shower before strapping on her katana and heading down to her garage.

Her bike may not have been as impressive as Aymeric’s latest top of the range Chocobo bike, but it still served her well, and still had the auto summon and release functionality – something of which she was all the more grateful given that she had last left it at the Forgotten Knight in her haste to follow the inquisitor. However its built-in homing beacon meant that it had travelled back to her home after 24 hours of inactivity and so she checked it over to ensure it hadn’t been damaged or tampered with, before climbing on the back and heading to Hilda’s flat.

Based in one of the two towering skyscrapers in the area affectionately known as The Twin Forums, Hilda’s flat was in the lower part of Saint Reinette’s Forum, as close to the Brume as it would go. While most of the time this was not considered prime real estate, in this case Hilda had chosen this location intentionally as it meant she was closer to her main stomping grounds, the Brume, and her crew of well-intentioned protector-thieves, the Hounds.

Parking her bike down a side street and weaving her way through the people going about their daily business, whether that be younger kids loitering on a street corner with friends, or desperate individual trying to sell drugs or other knock off temporary enhancements to unsuspecting passers-by, Finks founds herself at Hilda’s apartment door and was shortly let in and made her way up a couple of flights of stairs to find the raven haired lady at her door, smiling widely at Finks and ushering her into her flat.

“Finks! ‘Ow are you? Better I hope after what I ‘eard about your adventures the other night?” Hilda smirked, giving Finks a wink of one of her red eyes.

“And what is it that you’ve heard exactly, Hilda?” Finks asked suspiciously; she hadn’t put Aymeric down as the type to kiss and tell, but it wasn’t as if she had specifically told him to keep it quiet, so she would be partially to blame had he decided to tell all and sundry.

“Well if Gibrillont were to be believed, apparently you and two Knights went runnin’ off into the night after an inquisitor, no less…”

“Uh-huh, yeah I guess that did happen.” Finks agreed, still staring at the half-elezen suspiciously as she continued to grin at Finks.

“An’ if my missus were to be believed, then apparently one of those Knights is quite smitten with you, ‘aving rescued you from bein’ dreadfully injured or some such.” Hilda finished with another smirk, and Finks sighed and rubbed her face.

“Did your better half tell you exactly what he said to make her think that?” Finks asked, and Hilda shrugged as she turned back the bubbling pot on the stove.

“You can ask ‘er yourself if you’d like – she’s on ‘er way back for lunch right now.” Hilda paused and turned to look at Finks with a penetrating stare. “’E’s a good person, is Aymeric, and you know I wouldn’t say that lightly about a corporation fella.”

“Thank you for your unrequested opinion on the matter, Hilda.” Finks said sarcastically and Hilda chortled at her tone.

“I’m just sayin’ – I don’t know the details but you could do worse than that one, is all. Anyway, ‘ere, come ‘elp me with layin’ the table.” Hilda replied innocently, and then piled out some cutlery and plates in front of Finks. Finks sighed and started to lay the implements down on the dining table even as the front door slammed shut and Lucia walked around the corner, a wide smile for Finks and a loving kiss for Hilda. Finks turned her attention away for a second as the two women embraced, giving them a moment of uninterrupted intimacy.

“So how fares our inestimable Finks Silversource?” Lucia asked, finally unwrapping her arms from Hilda, and giving Finks a hand with the plates.

“Aymeric still being super subtle ‘bout ‘is affections then?” Hilda asked with a snort of amusement and Lucia grinned and winked at Finks.

“I’m going to need a drink for this, I think.” Finks groaned, and Lucia nodded her head towards the fridge.

“There’s a beer in the fridge if you want? Grab one for Hilda too – I’ve got to head back into work after this so I’ll just have a juice please.” Lucia said, and Finks strolled over to the fridge and grabbed a couple of bottles of beer and a carton of juice as Lucia put out some glasses and Hilda started to plate up the food on a large platter. Soft warm freshly baked muffins laden with slices of alligator pear and freshly grilled salmon, with a small jug of cheese sauce on the side, it made Finks realise just how hungry she was. Hilda laid it all out on the table in front of them and Finks dove in as Lucia poured out their drinks. Hilda and Lucia gave each other an amused glance at Fink’s behaviour; they usually found themselves feeding Finks – a mammoth task in of itself – and were always pleasantly surprised at her healthy appetite.

After her third muffin, she picked another and plopped it on her place, pouring some of the cheese sauce on it and bracing herself as she picked at the food on her plate, Hilda’s excellent cooking at least sating her appetite somewhat.

“So Lucia, Hilda mentioned that Aymeric may have mentioned something to you about us – me?” Finks started, causing Hilda to snort at her mis-speak. Lucia looked at Finks with warmth in her eyes, finishing her muffin and take a sip of her juice as she watch the hyur fidget with her food.

“He filled me in with what happened with the inquisitor the other night, and may have been not so subtly asking about you at every godsdamn occasion that he can get away with it, and some that he can’t.” Lucia replied, a hint of exasperation in her voice at the end of her sentence.

“The elezen’s fair been chompin’ at the bit to find out more about you, the way my sweetheart ‘as been tellin’ it. And I can guess why, if there was an ‘us’ to be ‘ad.” Hilda mused. Finks kept her face resolutely on her plate, refusing to look up as Hilda laughed at her reaction.

“Leave the poor woman alone my love, she’ll tell us when she’s ready. Although I might add that you can do much worse than Aymeric, were you to set your sights for someone.” Lucia said, obviously feeling some sympathy for Finks.

“So I’ve heard. But you know the deal, I’m not here to stay, and as soon as I’ve found what I need I’ll be off, probably never to return.”

“Aye, you’ve said it before, yet you still make friendships ‘ere, and you’ve been ‘ere for close on a year now too. I don’t gainsay your words, but I can’t ‘elp but feel that it may be an altogether too convenient an excuse, that one.” Hilda said, her voice thoughtful and once again seeing way too much of a situation than most.

“It’s different, and you know it.” Finks replied quietly, and Hilda nodded once, red eyes on her own green eyes with empathy.

“That it may well be.” Hilda mused, and then pushed her plate away. “Anyway enough of such thoughts, I called you ‘ere for a reason other than to make you sweat. I need your ‘elp.”

Finks sighed, relieved, as the conversation moved on, taking a sip of her beer and leaning back in her chair as Hilda spoke of a missing member of her Hounds – a young girl who had recently joined – and how it coincided with a few other mentions of missing women around the Brume in recent history. Finks couldn’t help but think of the hotspot of missing persons that Aymeric had pulled up on her monitor a few nights ago, and leant up a little straighter.

“No bodies?” She asked and Hilda shook her head.

“Nope, none. The girls are disappearin’ off the street with nary a witness or kerfuffle. And it ain’t like how it ‘appens with some of them people snatchers either, my girl knew how to avoid the likes of them. ‘Aurchefant also mentioned that a couple of ‘is girls went missing too.”

Finks thought for a moment, then looked to Lucia.

“And nothing on your side either? No alerts or notifications?”

“Nothing. You know as well as I how hard it is to get official dispensation to look into anything happening in the Brume, but I did look into it unofficially and found nothing, other than a slight concentration of reported missing women just past the Skysteel Manufactory, and the odd wives tale about the sound of roaring over the past couple of weeks.” Lucia said regretfully, but Finks perked up at the mention of roaring.

“Roaring you say? Like the sound of a monster or dragon?” Finks asked. Lucia looked at Finks with a speculative expression as Hilda looked at them both like they were crazy.

“I’d never thought… I’ll need to tell Aymeric about this.” Lucia said, standing as she reached for her tomestone, and Finks winced at that.

“Sorry, but he’s the main detective on this case and he outranks me.” Lucia apologised when seeing Finks’ expression and Finks shrugged and took another sip of her beer.

“Sure, whatever. Just tell him that he better not mess up my investigation.” Finks replied, and Lucia nodded as she left the room.

“Does that mean you’ll take the case?” Hilda asked, and Finks nodded, her face thoughtful once more.

“I think I have to. Tell me more about your girl.” Finks replied, and started taking notes as Hilda caught her up on what had happened over the rest of their lunch.


	12. Slightly Improvised

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> CW: Slight Mention of Paddling, Prostheses
> 
> Psst... hey you, yeah you... wanna join an amazing server full of inspiring and enabling peeps? Then come join us at [Emet-Selch's Wholesomely Debauched and Enabling Book Club](https://discord.gg/jcgKuYs)
> 
> Hey! Also, so... err... if you're interested in possibly, potentially, peripherally reading any of my original work then you can find it [here](https://www.wattpad.com/user/Finksalion). Thank you for your support! <3

Full of food and good company, and as much information as she could gather on the missing women, Finks left Hilda and Lucia’s place in the late afternoon, and headed directly for The Silver Fuller. Hilda had mentioned that a couple of Haurchefant’s dancers had also gone missing, so it made sense to check that it wasn’t the same scenario. Besides, she had wanted to make sure that Francel was okay after his ordeal, and she knew that Haurchefant would have checked in on his dear friend by now. As she parked outside of the club, she noticed Aymeric’s bike parked nearby and stopped for a second, taking a deep breath before entering the club, trying to rein in her tumultuous emotions.

Nodding at the blonde elezen at the front desk with familiarity, she was waved on in and stepped into the large main hall, walls sheathed in shades of chrome, silver and blue with sleek lines and multi-coloured spotlights bouncing off the highly reflective glass-like surfaces to brighten the otherwise dimly lit room. Large booths upholstered in rich blue and purple silks and velvets, each with glass doors that frosted at the touch of a button lined the edges of the room, providing temporary privacy when required. For those that demanded further seclusion, there were always personal rooms that could be booked – akin to the one that Finks had been treated in a few nights ago, and available at a fairly hefty price.

A large ornate stage at the back of the hall broke off into several smaller runway-like structures branching out into the room at different points, all surrounded by numerous tables and chairs, and lit up with spotlights to provide the best view to the performers on the end podiums. A long bar sat along one side of the large hall offering drinks and food as well as an assortment of temporary boosts and enhancements – all legal of course – and any other number of accessories and accoutrements. Even at this time of the afternoon the main area was relatively busy, low music pumping out of the top end sound system, and each of the podiums occupied by dancers and performers of varying types and activities. The one furthest from Finks had a large male roegadyn gracefully dancing around a pole in the centre of the podium, his fluid movements belying the usual stereotype afforded to his race. Another stage held a petite miqo’te woman teasing and paddling a muscular highlander to the delight of a group of lalafellian ladies – having the frenzied, excited look of those who were strangers to the city, tourists no doubt.

One of the middle podiums held a tall and stunningly beautiful viera with a cybernetic arm and a cybernetic leg, the silver of her prostheses contrasting with the whiteness of her fur and giving the metal a platinum-like sheen. She seemed distraught, and it was here in front of the viera that Finks could see Haurchefant and Aymeric standing. As she approached, she could hear Haurchefant trying to calm the woman down; from what she could gather it was the viera’s first time on the stage and she was suffering from some serious nerves. Finks could empathise, remembering a lifetime ago when she had been forced to do her first performance a continent away, but without the benefit of a soothing elezen allaying her fears and reminding her that she need not push herself if she was not ready.

With a small sniff, and looking a little more settled, the viera nodded at Haurchefant and nervously began to dance once more. Her prostheses would shiver to almost liquid form every now and then, wrapping around her body like silver ribbons trailing through the air around her before reforming back into their respective limbs, and the effect was stunning; part liquid mercury and part sultry dance, and all amazingly compelling. The woman slowly grew bolder as Haurchefant smiled approvingly at her act. She was exceptional, and Finks continued to watch even as she approached the two elezen.

“She’s very talented.” Finks said as she got within conversation distance, and Haurchefant and Aymeric both turned at her voice.

“Why, if it isn’t my favourite investigator! Ah, well, present company excluded, of course.” Haurchefant declared, arms outstretched and a wide smile on his face, glancing quickly at Aymeric with a grin. Aymeric tilted his head, his intense blue eyes glowing as his eyes locked on Finks, a warm smile on his lips.

“It’s a fair statement, Haurchefant. She’s quickly becoming my favourite too.” Aymeric said and Haurchefant chuckled even as Aymeric closed the distance between himself and Finks with alarming speed, his eyes never leaving her and his pupils expanding slightly. She was half relieved that there wasn’t a table between them; she wasn’t sure if he would have flipped it or jumped over it to get to her, given the intensity of his stare. He stopped just a few ilms from her and his hand reached out and brushed the tips of her fingers before he realised where they stood and what they had agreed upon and what he was doing, and he dropped his hand, apologetic. That slight touch was enough though, and Finks could feel the levin crackle between them, heat once more rising, before she swallowed it down.

“Hi.” Aymeric finally said with that beautifully smooth voice of his, eyes still glowing as he looked down at her, the clench of his jaw and the bob of his throat as he swallowed giving away the thick emotion implicit in that small greeting.

“Hello again Aymeric.” Finks replied, trying to keep her voice neutral but failing to remove the slight shiver from her tone as she saw his eyes fluttering closed for a second at the sound of her uttering his name once more. They stood there for a second, not saying anything, just remembering all that had occurred, before Haurchefant coughed politely and the spell was broken. Finks leant back on a nearby table casually, her arms crossed over her chest as Aymeric took a step back and looked away, a small smile on his lips.

“Fascinating.” Haurchefant drawled, looking at the two of them, and they both glared at him, Finks noting that the same blush that was on her cheeks was also on Aymeric’s.

“Shut up, Haurchefant.”

Finks was about to reply in a similar way, but Aymeric had got there first, and Haurchefant chuckled his eyes glowing bright with suppressed mirth.

“You know I have a spare bedroom if you two would like a little privacy, equipped with all sorts of fun toys for you two to try out. God knows my friend here could do with some stress relief – pulled tighter than a spring, this one.” Haurchefant continued, earning him another glare from Aymeric even as Finks couldn’t help but laugh at his irrepressible mischief.

“Oh really? Grappling with monsters not enough exertion for you?” Finks asked Aymeric archly, a sly grin on her lips, one which Aymeric returned.

“Not monsters, no. However, I can think of other activities that seem able to test my stamina enhancements sufficiently…” He replied, and Finks cursed herself for her teasing as the full force of his devastating eyes turned to her again.

“Wow, did someone fiddle with the temperature settings in here or did it just get _unreasonably_ hot? Are you both absolutely sure that you don’t want to avail yourselves of my facilities? No? Well just let me know if you change your mind. I’d be happy to help with such an _interesting_ venture.” Haurchefant smirked. “Now if there’s nothing else I can offer in an official capacity then I guess I’ll leave the two of you alone to… _talk_ …” He continued, unable to stop his lips from twitching in amusement as Aymeric seemingly struggled to keep himself from strangling his good friend.

“Actually Haurchefant, I came to speak to you.” Finks interrupted as the silvery haired elezen turned to scarper at the expression of promised death on his friend’s face at his constant needling.

“Oh? Given the way my friend here fair jumped at you upon your arrival, I assumed… well, no matter what I assumed I guess. What can I do to help, my dear?”

“Firstly, how’s Francel?” Finks asked, and Haurchefant’s smile brightened the room.

“He’s well, thank you for asking. They’ve upped security at the construction yard, hired a contingent of the Immortal Flames to help, and the death threats seem have abated since that night too. I’d say you performed your job most admirably despite the ample blood loss on your part.” Haurchefant replied and Finks winced at that.

“All part of the service apparently.” Finks responded sarcastically and Haurchefant gave her a warning glance at that.

“Yes, well, next time you do a job for me, how about we forgo that particular additional extra?” He asked, and Finks chuckled at that. “We’ll sort your payment out after the second point, which I fear may be linked to why my highly respected friend here is also paying me a visit today. Care to elucidate?”

“I’d imagine so actually,” Finks replied and then turned to Aymeric, “I assume you’re here because of the call you received from Lucia?” Aymeric looked at her in surprise, and Finks laughed in delight at his confusion.

“So she didn’t mention that I was sat in the next room when she called you then?” Finks asked and Aymeric shook his head ruefully, running his hands through his tousled raven hair.

“She did not. She did, however, mention Hilda’s missing girl, and that you had also had some issues with a missing dancer or two?” Aymeric said, directing the question at Haurchefant, and he nodded sadly.

“Yeah, one in particular actually, a miqo’te by the name of Mhih Nbolo. The other dancer I was concerned about turned up yesterday after a particularly long private session with a client apparently. Sometimes it happens, they get lured away by a competitor, or a patron decides they want a more… permanent personal arrangement. However, I’m not known for taking issue with either of those decisions, so they’d normally know enough to talk to me first – if only to ensure that they can get their pay and benefits resolved. Mhih though, she just didn’t show up for her shift, and I haven’t heard from her since. I can’t deny that it hasn’t worried me dreadfully. I mentioned it to Hilda a couple of days ago, and then I guess her friend also went missing?” Haurchefant replied, sighing, worry evident on his face.

“Do you have any details on her? Where she lived, if she had any friends, if she was in trouble of any kind?” Finks asked and Haurchefant thought about it for a second, as she noticed that Aymeric’s eyes had gone that strange kind of blank that meant he was running through his various databases for information.

“I’ll have her address in my office – I’ll get it for you when I get your payment, as for any issues, I’m not sure. She hadn’t been here for long – maybe two weeks? Not long enough to make any close friends that I’d noticed, and I honestly wouldn’t know about much else.” Haurchefant replied as Aymeric came back to the conversation.

“She isn’t is in any trouble that I can see on my records, and she hasn’t been reported missing by anyone either.” Aymeric added, and Finks thought about it even as a small voice piped up from the stage.

“I knew Mhih, she does not live far from me and we had shared a cab on occasion after a shift.” The white haired viera said nervously, twisting her hands together in anxiety. Haurchefant looked up at her, and offered his hand to help her jump down from the stage.

“Do you know if she was in any trouble, Vrer?” Haurchefant asked softly and the viera shrugged, still not making eye contact with anyone but Haurchefant.

“I don’t think so, she didn’t mention it to me at least. But she was having trouble sleeping, mentioned something about hearing strange noises, and feeling something watching her.” Vrer said, still wringing her hands together.

“Thank you Vrer, that helps. Did she tell you anything else about those strange noises?” Finks asked gently and the woman peeked up for a second, catching Finks’ eyes before looking back down quickly.

“Only that it sounded like some large, like a dragon or something. I really don’t know anything else, but I hope she’s okay. She was nice to me.”

Finks and Aymeric exchanged glances at that, and Haurchefant gently led the distraught woman away to the bar to get a drink to calm her nerves.

“A dragon, huh?” Aymeric finally said, and Finks nodded absently.

“I assume Lucia told you about the roaring noises that were being heard around the Skysteel Manufactory for the past few weeks?” Finks asked, and Aymeric nodded in reply.

“What’s the bet that our dear missing Mhih lives around there?” Aymeric mused, as Haurchefant returned, leaving the viera in the capable hands of his bar staff.

“Wanna get that address for me now?” Finks asked Haurchefant as he walked up to them, and he nodded and indicated for Finks to follow him as he led her up a set of stairs and through the door to his office, large windows overlooking the hall. As soon as the door closed, however, all sounds from the outside disappeared as the noise displacers activated, leaving them in silence. Haurchefant busied himself with a monitor on his desk, and then pulled a bag of gil from a safe behind his desk and tossed it over to Finks, who caught it from the seat that she had slouched into across the desk. She thanked him and busied herself with putting it away as he appraised her calmly, deliberately.

“All teasing aside, and I know it’s none of my business, but he likes you, a lot. More than I’ve seen him like a person, well, ever actually.” Haurchefant began gently, and Finks sighed as she looked up at the silver haired elezen.

“You’re right, Haurchefant, it is none of your business.” She replied softly, but with a hint of exasperation.

“He’s a good person, if that’s what concerns you. One of the best I’ve ever known.”

“So everyone keeps telling me.”

“You are also a good person, Finks, despite your cantankerous nature on occasion. You both deserve a touch of happiness in your lives.” Haurchefant sighed, but let the matter drop.

“Have you heard… anything?” Finks asked hesitantly, and Haurchefant sighed again, knowing immediately of what she was talking.

“No, I’m afraid I haven’t. No signs or indication of any Garlean delegation being anywhere near Neo-Ishgard in the last year, but that doesn’t mean anything. Fortemps Industries is not really in the loop when it comes to the beast that is Garlemald Industrial Tech. If we were the size of HeavensWard or even Dzemael Applied Sciences, then maybe we might know more. Sorry.”

“It’s fine, it was a long shot anyway.”

“It’s been a year, are you sure you sources were correct?”

“I’d trust that woman’s information with my life, and frequently have. They were here, _he_ was here – I just need to find the trail.”

“You know that Aymeric might be able to help with finding him, right?”

“I’ve already asked Lucia to help and she couldn’t find anything, I don’t know that another Knight might be able to –”

“Not as a Knight, as the heir of HeavensWard.” Haurchefant cut her off, and Finks stopped, considering it for a second before shaking her head.

“I… I don’t know if I can trust him enough… _he_ can’t find out that I’m here, it would be too dangerous.” Finks said, her voice hoarse and thick with emotion.

“Someday you’ll tell me about it?” Haurchefant said softly, coming around the desk and leaning against it, taking one of Finks’ hands in his own affectionately.

“Someday, maybe.” Finks replied, parcelling away her emotions into that hidden part of herself and pulling herself up from the deep and back into the case.

“Anyway, the details of Mhih?” Finks asked and Haurchefant nodded, letting go of her hand and reaching over his desk to press a button.

“Sent to your tomestone.” He replied as she felt a small buzz in her pocket.

“Thanks, I guess I’d better take a poke around her neighbourhood then.” Finks said, rising from the chair and heading out of the office, Haurchefant close on her heels to see about his own business. As she got to the bottom of the stairs, Aymeric was waiting for her with an expectant expression on his face.

“Got the address?” He asked and Finks nodded in surprise. “Great, let’s go then.”

Finks stopped in her stride and turned to look at the raven haired elezen even as Haurchefant whisked past them both, giving her a wink as he swept away.

“Um, “lets”?” Finks asked, and Aymeric shrugged.

“It makes more sense, given that I’m also covering this case, and besides if it does turn out to be another dragon appearance then we’re probably going to have a better shot at taking it down together.” Aymeric said, and Finks cursed at his smooth tongue. He was probably right though – they had barely managed to take down one of those things with the two of them; she wasn’t sure she would be able to manage it on her own.

“Fine, we work together. But it’s a purely professional relationship, nothing else is going to happen, okay?” Finks demanded, her jaw pushed out pugnaciously and Aymeric nodded gravely.

“Perish the thought.” He replied, before a small smile of delight appeared on his lips as he gestured for her to lead the way.


	13. Time Is Running Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> CW: Prostheses, Mutilation, Kidnapping
> 
> Psst... hey you, yeah you... wanna join an amazing server full of inspiring and enabling peeps? Then come join us at [Emet-Selch's Wholesomely Debauched and Enabling Book Club](https://discord.gg/jcgKuYs)
> 
> Hey! Also, so... err... if you're interested in possibly, potentially, peripherally reading any of my original work then you can find it [here](https://www.wattpad.com/user/Finksalion). Thank you for your support! <3

“So were we right? Does the miqo’te live near the Skysteel Manufactory?” Aymeric asked as they walked out of the Silver Fuller, and Finks hummed in confirmation. She took a look at her tomestone and checked on the details of Hilda’s missing friend.

“Interesting, I thought I remembered that correctly. Hilda’s missing friend is also a miqo’te – by the name of Veja Monbho, and she also lives near there.” Finks thought, reading through the details that Hilda had provided earlier today.

“Two miqo’te? Let me check something.” Aymeric said as they approached their bikes, and Aymeric leant back on his bike, his eyes going blank again as he scrolled through the Knight’s missing person’s database. Finks sat on her bike, looking around the square and the bright advertising running around the periphery of the metal platform. So much of it was HeavensWard advertising, and Finks once again regarded the tall elezen in front of her, thinking of what Haurchefant said about Aymeric’s position and how it might help her with her search.

Aymeric came out of the search, rubbing his face wearily and then noticing Finks’ eyes on him and offered her a small smile.

“You okay?” She asked, noticing his tired expression, and he waved it away.

“I’m fine, it’s just… using the neural implants can be tiring – there’s a lot of information coming at you pretty fast and it can be a bit much sometimes.” He tried to explain, and Finks nodded. She couldn’t claim to know what it would feel like to have an implant, but she could still empathise with him. Haurchefant’s words still with her, she hesitated for a second and then blurted it out before she even thought about the consequences.

“What are the limits to who you can find using your neural implants? Can you… can you find people who are maybe trying to stay hidden, or may have high security, or are here for top-secret business things?”

Aymeric gave her a long appraising stare, and she looked away, biting her lip and cursing herself for saying too much.

“It’s not omniscient – there’s still a lot of places where surveillance is limited, so I might not necessarily be able to find just anyone, especially if they’re aware of the city-wide surveillance and the blackout spots in particular. Maybe not unsurprisingly, those blackout spots get larger the higher up in the Pillars you go, so if the business meetings are particularly clandestine then it would make it much harder for me to track. Probably not impossible, though.” Aymeric answered evenly, careful to keep curiosity out of his voice. She turned back and nodded, schooling her face to seem only mildly interested in his response.

“If you had a particular person you were trying to track…” He continued slowly, watching her expression, which she was careful to keep blank as she interrupted him.

“- Sure, more like idle curiosity than anything else. Thanks, though.” Finks replied brusquely, and then looked away again, cursing herself once more for her loose tongue whenever she was around him.

“Anyway, what did you find out?” Finks asked, changing the subject, and he obliged easily.

“There’s certainly a higher proportion of missing female miqo’te than usual around that area, which is concerning. Before we check out the woman’s apartment though, we should stop by the Manufactory. Stephanivien – the Chief Technical Officer for Haillenarte Manufactories – is a friend of mine, and I was asking him to look into our dart, off the books of course. I couldn’t really take it to the Knight’s lab for anything more than a cursory inspection in case it got back to the other corporations, so I asked him for a favour.” Aymeric replied, and Finks gave him an amused look.

“How is it that we’ve never met before with so many friends in common?” Finks asked with a wry smile on her face as she swung her leg over the back of her bike and started the engine. He looked shocked for a second, then grinned back at her.

“Not sure, but you can be certain I’ll be having words with all of them about their lack of introductions at some point.” Aymeric replied, also starting his own bike, and then they both drove off down towards the Skysteel Manufactories located in the Brume underneath the massive skysteel monolith that was the Haillenarte building.

It wasn’t far and as they weaved and dodged through the traffic between the towering skyscrapers, the light from the setting sun glanced off the glass and steel all around them and gave the city a soft orange glow – a counterpoint to the usually harsh and bright neon lights that advertised the various and sundry businesses scattered in and around the structures reaching up to the sky.

The area around the base of the massive Haillenarte building was mostly desolate, a few low rent and shoddy apartment buildings and small corner style shops and cafes here and there, mainly surrounded by warehouses – some still in use, some now home to alternative and potentially illegal activities, but many more abandoned and given up to the elements entirely. It spoke volumes of the care given to the Brume as a whole; squat unroofed buildings – some with their neon signs still lit up and blinking with circuits still operating despite the neglect of their operators, some open to the consequences of weather and time, and some showing signs of being overtaken by nature – trees and vines growing out of and curling over concrete and metal – forgotten, uncared for, forsaken once they had served their purpose.

They reached the tall hard-light fence that wrapped around the Skysteel Manufactory, and Aymeric showed his pass to the guard before a gate was opened and they were waved through. They parked up outside the building and walked towards the large steel doors maybe 20 yalms high, opened to the cool air as heat from the ongoing forges billowed from the manufactory in waves.

Walking in to that infernal heat, Finks could immediately feel her skin start to prickle as sweat formed in the small of her back and she had wiped her face several times before they even reached Stephanivien. Standing in the centre of the manufactory, directing a few of his employees in their tasks, the elezen was an imposing sight. A study in enhancements, implants and prostheses, some could consider him more machine than man; they would be wrong though, despite the huge amount of alterations he had across his body, he was still quite possibly one of the most kind, unique and humane people in Neo-Ishgard.

“Aymeric, Finks, how good it is to see you both, and together as well? How very interesting. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised though, considering who Haurchefant said he had hired to help out my little brother, and who dropped him off to our house not two days ago.” Stephanivien said, walking forward to the two of them, and leading them up to his office, thankfully much cooler than the manufactory floor.

“How is Francel? Haurchefant said he was feeling better.” Finks asked, sitting herself directly in front of the fan that blew cool air across his office and sighing happily as she untucked her shirt and directed the cool air directly up her back. Aymeric stopped for a second and watched her, one eyebrow cocked, eyes darkened slightly in lust as her loosened shirt fluttered around her abdomen in the breeze. She grinned and stuck her tongue out at his lusty sigh, and then turned to Stephanivien, who was blissfully unaware of the whole exchange as he pottered around his office, searching through his papers and finally finding the small dart that Finks had seen buried in the inquisitor.

“Hmm? Oh yeah he is recovering and more determined than ever to get that new construction project in full swing. Thanks to you both, he is still able to do so. Therefore, on behalf of my younger brother, I thank you.” Stephanivien gave then both a florid bow, and Finks snorted as Aymeric chuckled and bowed his head.

“You can’t imagine how angry Laniaitte was about the whole thing. She’s tripled guard detail around the place and she’s fair screaming for Dzemael blood at the attempt. Luckily father managed to talk her down, but Fury help Tedalgrinche if he crosses her path anytime soon. Or not so soon either, to be fair, Lani’s got one hell of a wick on that temper of hers.”

“I remember.” Aymeric winced and Stephanivien laughed at that, eyes wide with glee as Aymeric ran his fingers through his hair and gave Finks’ questioning look a sheepish shrug.

“Oh Fury, I forgot about the bathtub incident! I think she’s forgiven you for that, maybe, just about.” Stephanivien gasped, grabbing his sides in mirth as he wiped the tears from his eyes, and Aymeric coughed, the tips of his ears reddening slightly in embarrassment.

“Anyway, back to the dart.”

“Bathtub incident?” Finks asked curiously, sending a fresh burst of laughter through Stephanivien.

“ _Back to the dart_.” Aymeric emphasised, with some force, and Finks suppressed a chuckle as Stephanivien wiped his eyes once more and then cleared his throat.

“Ahem, yes, anyway, unfortunately I can’t give you much information to be honest. The skysteel is of a good quality, but it’s not Haillenarte quality so it definitely didn’t come from us, or any of our clients. A clever little device to be sure; able to be fired from most weaponry but as soon as it finds it target it immediately dispenses the contents of the dart into the offending party. Useful for poisons and the like I’d imagine; initially I’d say Dzemael may be behind it – they do like their chemical warfare – but they’re not that good at weapon design, and especially not something as complex as this, so it pretty much leaves Durendaire in terms of the hardware. That being said, Durendaire doesn’t so much as wipe their pompous behinds without Dzemael’s say so, so I wouldn’t be surprised that Tedalgrinche was behind it somehow, with the help of Durendaire military. Especially given that he was the one ostensibly behind the threats and attack on Francel.”

“It does track. What about the fluid within it? Not a poison in this case, but I guess potentially still chemical in nature?” Aymeric asked, and Stephanivien shook his head sadly, popping the dart in a small plastic box and passing it back to Aymeric.

“I’m afraid I don’t know much. It’s a plasma-based substance, which explains how it was able to integrate into the subject’s body without rejecting, and there’s something strange in there to be sure, but it pains me to admit that I don’t have the tools to investigate further.” Stephanivien admitted, and Aymeric grunted in reply as he put the small dart away.

“Have you heard anything about missing women, potentially miqo’te around here? Or a roaring sound?” Finks asked from in front of the fan, and Stephanivien looked at her sharply.

“You’re investigating that too?” He asked, surprised, and then glanced furtively at Aymeric before turning his gaze back to Finks, “Or are you asking on behalf of your… _circle of friends_?”

Finks groaned even as Aymeric looked up curiously. Stephanivien, it seemed, was not great at subtlety, and Aymeric gave him a flat stare as the enhanced elezen turned his head and whistled innocently.

“They looking into it to then?” Finks asked lightly, ignoring Aymeric’s cool expression entirely, and Stephanivien nodded.

“Yeah, the boy was around here a day or so ago, asking very similar questions.” Stephanivien confirmed and Finks groaned again.

“Anything I should know about?” Aymeric asked lightly, but with an undertone of suspicion, and Stephanivien paled, looking to Finks in panic, who shook her head and then turned slightly to Aymeric.

“Nope, nothing that you need to or _want to_ know about.” Finks said firmly, and he gave her a level stare and then nodded once, his eyes still alight with curiosity.

“Okay then, I’ll accept that. For now.” He replied, and Finks breathed an imperceptible sigh of relief that he hadn’t pressed the point. He really didn’t need to know about her links the Scions just yet, especially as a Knight of Neo-Ishgard. They were, technically a terrorist organisation after all.

“So, what have you heard then?” Finks asked, and Stephanivien rubbed his face in thought.

“It’s been going on for little under a month now – I don’t know anyone specifically who’s gone missing but there are definitely rumours of women, particularly miqo’te but not always, just disappearing off the streets – more so in the past week. It’s not unusual for people to disappear around here, truth be told, but with that and the strange noises coming from the Sector 7 warehouses? Well it’s got people on edge now.”

“Noises?” Aymeric asked, and Stephanivien nodded.

“Indeed, they also started around a month ago, strange snarling roaring sounds, enough to have people staying well clear of that sector – not that there were many there to begin with. It wasn’t that often at first, and people put it down to random animals or something. But recently, in the last week or so, it seems to be happening almost every night.”

“But no-one’s seen anything? No-one’s gone to investigate?” Finks persisted, and Stephanivien shook his head.

“Only our mutual friends.”

Finks crossed her arms over her shirt and looked at Aymeric, who returned that worried glance with one of his own, his blue eyes filled with concern.

“Do we go to Mhih’s apartment or do we go straight to Sector 7?” She asked and he considered it briefly, before looking at her gravely.

“Plans change, I think we need to go check out the warehouses first. Because if it is what we think it is…” Aymeric started, and Finks nodded.

“… Agreed.” Finks finished.

They thanked Stephanivien and headed out to the Sector 7 warehouses, parking their bikes just outside where the gates to the next sector started and then silently continuing on foot, both alert and straining to listen for any unusual sounds. The buildings here were mostly ruined, unused streets filled with crumbled bricks and shattered glass, and small creatures scuttled around the ruins – more their homes than anyone else’s after the years of neglect.

After a good 10 minutes of creeping through the mouldering decay, Aymeric stopping every now and then to run scans around their vicinity, his eyes narrowed and he pointed in the direction of a particularly run down building to the side of the main street they were walking down. Finks nodded and followed after him, and they entered the building quietly, looking around and treading carefully in order to make as little noise as possible.

“Over there.” Aymeric whispered, pointing towards some back rooms, that strange blue halo around one of his eyes as he scanned the area, and Finks stealthily moved forward, quickening her steps when she heard a whimper from behind one of the doors. Pushing it open slowly, hand on her katana hilt, she gasped when she saw small huddles of clothes and bodies lying around the small room, some looking up and shying away from a presence in the room, others not moving at all. To the side, one miqo’te was hugging another and trying to keep her quiet, as her ears flickered and the ruined stub of her tail twitched in fear.

“Who… who are you?” The miqo’te hissed and Finks crouched down slowly and watched the smaller miqo’te sob and shuffle back in fear even as the one that had spoken tightened her grip and soothed the younger woman. Remembering the images that both Hilda and Haurchefant had provided to her, she put two and two together.

“Veja, right?” Finks asked in a low voice and the miqo’te stiffened and then nodded once. Finks looked down at her tail and then with increasing horror looked around the rest of the room. Here and there, she could see that some of the miqo’te in the room were similarly mutilated, some with missing tails, others with missing ears, and the moans of pain and anguish tore at Finks’ heart.

“Who did this to you?” Finks asked, horrified, and the miqo’te shuddered.

“He’s… he’s a monster… I… you have to go, now, before he comes back… He’ll rip you apart…” The miqo’te whispered, the words forced out between sobs of fear.

“We’re here to help.” Finks soothed, trying to calm the increasingly agitated miqo’te in front of her, but she sobbed harder.

“You don’t understand… he’s an actual monster!” The woman said more fiercely, grabbing hold of Fink’s shirt desperately and pulling her close as if to try and make her understand, and it was at that moment that Aymeric appeared at the door, his expression wary and sickened as he took in everything in the room.

“Finks…” He warned, and then a roar, shattering the silence that pervaded the space and causing a few of the bodies to jerk upright and shriek in fear. The terror in the room was palpable, and Finks gently removed the woman’s hand from her shirt.

“It’s okay, Hilda sent us. We can deal with it.” Finks whispered, and the miqo’te hesitated and then nodded, eyes still wide with fright, and hugged the other girl close.

“Let’s go.” Finks said, standing and turning to Aymeric, fire in her eyes at all she had witnessed and they turned to find the source of the roar, to stop this sickening display of madness.


	14. The Voices

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> CW: Explicit Language, Graphic Depictions of Violence, Blood, Dislocation, Kissing
> 
> Psst... hey you, yeah you... wanna join an amazing server full of inspiring and enabling peeps? Then come join us at [Emet-Selch's Wholesomely Debauched and Enabling Book Club](https://discord.gg/jcgKuYs)
> 
> Hey! Also, so... err... if you're interested in possibly, potentially, peripherally reading any of my original work then you can find it [here](https://www.wattpad.com/user/Finksalion). Thank you for your support! <3

Stepping into the main warehouse area, they crept around the sides of the walls and between the large dusty metal machines and structures, pausing every now and then as a roar emanated from outside, getting closer every time. Aymeric stopped at a small workstation set up in a nook of the massive echoing room and nudged a prominent, unmarked metal case at his feet as he tapped Finks on the shoulder. Crouching down past him as he kept an eye out with his enhanced vision and senses, Finks quietly unlatched the case and took a deep breath in as she saw several small syringes neatly lined up within the foam padded enclosure, about half of which contained what looked like a very similar fluid to the dart they had found before. The other half were empty, with the seals on the needles broken.

“Interesting.” She whispered, and Aymeric’s eyes widened as he saw what was in the case. Finks shut the case and stood back up as they heard the roar once more, closer than before, followed by the sounds of rubble scattering and falling in the streets immediately outside. They continued to slowly make their way around the warehouse, avoiding windows and doors that may give away their position from outside, and paused for a second as the roar sounded like it was coming from right outside the wall that they were currently standing behind.

They started to creep forward once more, until Aymeric’s enhanced vision made him curse and turn quickly, pulling Finks away as the wall where they had previously been standing exploded into dust and rubble. Finks’ vision shook and blurred, her eardrums rattling as the monster burst through the demolished wall with an ear-shattering howl. They were both coughing and choking, covered in dust from the demolition of the building as the structure around them creaked and groaned under the strain of one of its walls being almost totally removed. As her eyes and ears adjusted from the implosion, Finks realised that Aymeric had one arm tightly wrapped around her waist, protected from most of the debris by his broad back as he held her to his chest in front of one of the large metal containers within the warehouse.

“You okay?” He asked, his voice gruff and low, hoarse from the dust in the air and from trying to keep quiet. Finks nodded, suppressing a cough, one of her hands on his bicep as the other lay lightly on his waist.

“Yeah, thanks.” She whispered, then looked up at him with a raised eyebrow as he continued to hold her, brushing her hair out of her face with his free hand as they both felt that tension between them rush forward unbidden once more.

“Shit. Damn. Not really the time for this?” Finks murmured, lip caught between teeth and unable to remove her gaze from his, and he closed his eyes and took a deep breath before he opened them again and released her.

“Yes, right, big scary monster. Fuck.” He replied softly as if reminding himself, and they parted quickly. Aymeric drew his filament blade, the blue glow from his sword lighting up the dusty interior and reflecting off the rusted metal surrounding them. Finks drew her own katana and they nodded, going in separate directions around the metal container, flanking the beast as they had the first time they had fought once of these monstrosities.

Catching Aymeric’s eye as Finks got into position on one side of the dragon-like creature, she nodded once then drew a deep breath, focusing on her body and the feel of the katana grip in her hand, before lunging forward and slashing across the thick thigh of this monster towering above her. This one was larger than the last one they found, and Finks swore even as she ducked under a swipe from a massive claw, dodging back as Aymeric ran forward from his side, his filament blade hissing as it cut through the back of the monster’s leg, trying to cut through the hamstring to cripple the beast and make it easier to take out. However, he had to dodge back as the creature swung around with surprising speed for something of its size.

The monster roared at Aymeric – the cut must have been deeper than they realised, and Finks took a deep breath and prepared to use the same move she had used before. Running up the beast’s back, however, proved more difficult this time as the monster shook her off easily and she jumped off before it could reach her with its claws, landing lightly next to Aymeric.

“Well, fuck, this is going to be a bit more difficult.” She breathed, staring at the monster.

“Indeed.” Aymeric answered shortly even as they both dodged in opposite directions as the beast slapped its claw down between them, swinging its arm back towards Finks, who dodged out of the way with a smooth roll.

“SSSSTOP MMMOVE SO I CRRRRUSH!” The beast roared, distinct words slowly enunciated as if its jaw was unfit to make common words, but unmistakeable as language nonetheless.

“Did it just _talk_ to us?” Finks asked, eyes wide, and looked over at Aymeric who also had his mouth wide open in shock, then his eyes narrowed with a calculated look.

“We don’t want to hurt you if we don’t have to, we want to talk.” Aymeric shouted back up at the beast, sword to one side in an unthreatening posture as Finks watched warily. The creature stopped for a second, regarding Aymeric with inscrutable eyes under a heavy draconic brow ridge, and for a split second Finks thought Aymeric may have gotten through, but then the monster growled and the sound reverberated through the room.

“NO TTTALKKKK, CRRRRUSH!” The monster roared, and swiped at Aymeric, catching his shoulder as he dodged out of the way and sending him flying to the floor at the force of even that clip. Finks growled and ran over, positioning herself over Aymeric’s prone form as he struggled to get to his feet, holding his shoulder carefully.

“You okay?” Finks asked, not taking her eyes off the monster in front of them, and she heard Aymeric grunt from behind her as he got to his feet.

“I think my shoulder is dislocated, but apart from that, yes I’m fine.” Aymeric groaned through gritted teeth, and Finks winced as she looked once over at his arm, clearly out of its socket, and then tightened her grip on her katana as she turned quickly back to the beast in front of her.

“Well, this is going well.” Finks quipped, taking a step back as the monster eyed the two of them, something approaching violent glee shining in its eyes. Cursing under her breath, she glanced back at Aymeric with a dangerous glint in her eye, and he narrowed his eyes at her.

“What are you planning?” He asked warily, and Finks grinned wider.

“Hang back, I’m going to try something incredibly risky and stupid.” Finks replied, and before he was able to stop her she ran forward, dashing and sliding under a massive outstretched arm trying to grab her. Turning and leaping back to her feet under the monster’s giant calf, she counted off that precious 1.3 seconds and then slashed across the hamstring – the same one that Aymeric had targeted earlier – her katana filled with that strange internal power of hers and she heard the distinctive twang of the tendon snapping under her blade as the beast roared and fell to one knee in agony, blood spurting out to make the ground slick beneath her feet.

Grinning crazily at the fact that the stunt had actually worked, she saw the monster reach to grab her and realised that she wouldn’t be able to scramble out of reach before it would be able to grasp her, stuck as she was between his large meaty tail and the path of his swing. Cursing once more, she gritted her teeth and braced herself for impact.

“And here I was thinking that I had taught you all about the importance of having an exit plan, my dear.”

A clear smooth sardonic voice rang out, and before she could ascertain the source of that familiar voice, she was suddenly swept off her feet by an ash-haired man in a white coat on the edge of a high tech grappling hook. She felt the force of the air passing by her as she narrowly missed the swipe of the monster, and they swung out of reach to land on top of one of the large metal containers.

“ _Thancred_? What are _you_ doing here?” Finks asked open-mouthed, hands on his chest as he still had one arm wrapped around her waist from his stunt, and the handsome lithely muscled hyur looked at her with a raised eyebrow and a smirk on his lips.

“What else but rescuing a pretty lady?” He replied with a cheeky grin, and before she could say anything else, he leant down and kissed her swiftly and passionately, his tongue parting her lips and caressing her own lightly for a second before he pulled away with a grin and reached for his gunblade strapped across his back.

“Now if you will excuse me, but it seems that we may need to finish the job before proper pleasantries can commence.” He replied airily and she grinned at him and smacked his ass familiarly as he chuckled in response.

“Keep him distracted for a second? My friend down there is injured and I want to check he’s okay.” Finks asked and Thancred took a look at Aymeric, who was watching them both with shock in his eyes. There was maybe something else there too, but Finks didn’t want to think about it too much as she briefly thought on the kiss from Thancred from his perspective – a rather usual greeting method for the hyur and herself in reality.

“Hmm, a rather _fine_ looking friend at that. You will ensure to introduce me later?” Thancred murmured with that typical sardonic smirk of his and Finks snorted even as she jumped off the container easily, and then watched Thancred take a leap toward the monster, slashing forward with his gunblade and taking a shot as the blade connected. The monster roared in pain and took a swipe at the white-coated Gunbreaker – now with limited mobility although those massive arms were still as fast as ever – but Thancred was faster and he used the shoulder of the beast as a springboard to leap in the opposite direction, evading the swipe easily and landing on the floor on the opposite side to Finks, now by Aymeric, who had swapped his sword to his other hand as his injured shoulder drooped alarmingly.

“You okay?” Finks asked, and Aymeric shrugged with one shoulder and gave her a smirk.

“Not as okay as you, it seems. Who’s our saviour?” Aymeric replied and Finks blushed ever so slightly, even as she laughed at his response.

“His name’s Thancred. He’s a friend.” Finks answered, looking away and watching Thancred take another shot at the monster, dancing away from the retaliation easily as only a Rogue turned Gunbreaker could.

“Friend, huh? Where do I sign up for that version of friendship with you?” Aymeric asked lightly, and Finks raised an eyebrow at him even as he laughed easily.

“I jest… Kind of… Anyway, let’s get this finished.” Aymeric responded and they both stepped up to flank the beast as Thancred continued to keep it focused on him. After a few thrusts and slashes, Finks took another deep breath and began to run up the back of the beast once more. Just as she got to the broad nape of the monsters neck there was strange shudder and the monster roared underneath her feet, muscles popping and bones cracking and – realised what was happening – Finks leapt off once more, landing next to Aymeric with a grunt and one hand on the floor, her katana held out low to the side of her in the other hand.

Thancred wearily made his way over to them as they watched the beast shudder and scream before them, the form taking on that of a man once more but in what was obviously an excruciatingly painful manner.

“Well at least we have our answer on if the transformation will reverse before death.” Aymeric muttered as they wearily watched for signs of the man/monster lashing out at them.

“Quite. A lot of those vials were missing, I wonder how many times he’s done this?” Finks asked, and Aymeric blanched at that.

“Or what damage it has done to his body.” He answered, grimacing. Each of them winced at the groans and howls of the man before them and as he reverted fully back to man, still bleeding heavily from being hamstrung, they carefully approached.

“Certainly not what I expected from this afternoon’s endeavours.” Thancred replied, and Finks breathed in agreement.

As they approached, the man looked up at them, bones still locking into place with winces and grimaces, but apart from being extremely sallow and underfed, and injured from the fight, he looked surprisingly physically unscathed from the transformation. That was, however, until Finks looked into his eyes and flinched at the madness she found within.

“Please, please don’t kill me, I’m sorry! Their tails and ears are so fluffy, I just want to stroke them, play with them, I… I didn’t mean to hurt them… I didn’t hurt them! Did I? Oh Gods, I didn’t…” The man muttered, his voice still broken and muffled, as if he was unused to speaking, and Finks’ growled at the mention of the miqo’te and what this man had done to them.

“You better start talking then, because I can’t be held responsible for what might happen to you otherwise.” Finks growled and the man flinched back from the violence implicit in her tone.

“I… I just wanted… the voices just wanted to pet them, but they were always so _mean_. Laughing at me, laughing and joking and poking and prodding and _whispering_ at the poor crazy man. Then _that man_ came along, said that he could help me get _strong_ , so they would like me, so the voices would leave me alone. They would like me, let me touch them, if I was strong, I just needed to get strong…” The man tailed off, a sob ripping through his lungs as he yearningly looked at the chest that Finks and Aymeric had found earlier.

“What else did the man say?” Aymeric asked, his usually smooth and honeyed voice rough with fury as he gazed at the man with eyes of cold ice. The crazy man before them flinched once more at that frosty gaze and pulled himself inwards, rocking back and forth.

“Nothing much, just that I would get strong if I injected myself with some medicine he gave me. I did, and I got strong, but… but but but… I wasn’t myself! It’s not my fault, I wanted to pet them, not hurt them, the voices wanted that, not me, it wasn’t my fault! It wasn’t my fault…” The man started to rock back and forth more violently, whispering that last sentence over and over, and Finks sighed as she cleaned and sheathed her katana.

“We’re not going to get much else from him at this rate, and I need to call this mess in and get medical attention for the women back there. We’ll be keeping him in custody anyway so we’ll see what we can get from in a few hours after he’s calmed down.” Aymeric sighed, and pulled out his tomestone to call the Knights as he walked a short distance away.

“A Knight, huh? Interesting _friend_ you have there. I should probably scarper then – come round when you can though? We might have something we can share about this case.” Thancred said, leaning in to Finks’ ear and wrapping his arm around her shoulder familiarly.

“Sure, I’ll be round later.” Finks replied, looking fiercely down at the crazy man rocking back and forth at her feet. Thancred took her jaw and tilted it towards him, drawing her eyes away from the man for a second. Pressing another kiss to her lips, her eyes softened and her jaw un-tensed slightly at the feel of his mouth on her, and he pulled away and nodded as she relaxed a touch.

“Do, my dear. If nothing else I might be able to help release some of that tension you seem to be holding.” He responded and Finks cackled as he ducked away, bowing to her floridly as he walked out of the warehouse, giving Aymeric a swift wave as he returned to stand by Finks.

“Where’s he’s going?” Aymeric asked, eyes inscrutable as he watched the charming hyur walk out of the wrecked building.

“Away. He’s… not fond of authority types so he thought it would be best to disappear before the rest of the Knights appear.” Finks replied lightly.

“Well the emergency response team will be here in 10 minutes, so I guess if that’s his opinion it was probably best for him to leave when he did.” Aymeric added and then looked at the man still rocking on the ground before them. Bending down to put a pair of hard-light cuffs on their attacker, he winced as he stood up again and Finks looked at him with concern.

“You okay?” She asked and he nodded once, looked to where Thancred had strolled out, and then turned back to Finks with a steady look.

“One of your circle of _special friends_ that Stephanivien was talking about then?” Aymeric asked flatly and Finks shrugged in response.

“Something like that.” Finks responded airily, “I said I’d pop by later to see him – he said they might have some interesting information for us regarding this case.”

“Oh, well we can get it all sorted here and then I’ll come with you.” Aymeric replied and Finks chuckled and shook her head.

“Afraid not, they won’t take kindly to me bringing a Knight into their presence. At least not until they get to know you better, and now is not the time. I’ll catch you up tomorrow instead?” Finks asked and Aymeric hesitated for a second before nodding – obviously unhappy about the arrangement but abiding by her suggestion.

“Sure – I can pop by yours around lunchtime? I’ll bring coffee.” It was Finks’ turn to hesitate at that, unsure of how sensible it would be to let him into her home again after last time, but eventually her brain won out over her emotions. At least that’s what she told herself.

“Okay, sounds good.” She replied, and he grinned in response, and then winced as his shoulder shifted again, and he brought it across his chest gingerly. 

“Sure you’re okay?” She asked and he nodded, stepping away and leaning against a wooden crate for support as he cradled his arm.

“Just tired mostly. I’ll keep an eye on this one. You want to check in on the women?” Aymeric responded and Finks nodded and headed back to the room with the miqo’te in. They flinched and moaned as she stepped in, some even shutting their eyes in terror for what might have come. She leant down near Veja and the woman looked at her with a confused kind of hope.

“It’s okay, it’s over. We’ve got him in custody and he will never harm another person again.” Finks said firmly, and the miqo’te shut her eyes and shuddered as the fear started to leave her, even as other women started to weep in relief at hearing her words.

“Thank you! By the Gods, thank you!” Veja said forcefully, grabbing Finks hands and gripping them tightly in gratitude. Finks nodded awkwardly at the fierce thanks, and stayed there, watching over the women until about 10 minutes later Lucia opened the door and nodded down at her once.

“Good job.” The blonde woman said as Finks stood and passed over the care of the women to her as she decided to head straight to see Thancred and his group of friendly reprobates. She stopped by Aymeric as he gave his report to another group of Knights, his arm being wrapped by a medic as two other Knights escorted the crazy man, still mumbling to himself, out to a nearby armoured van. Aymeric directed his colleagues to get as much information from the workstation as they could before it was dismantled and taken back to HQ, and then turned to Finks, who was watching Lucia shepherd the miqo’te out of the storeroom and into waiting ambulances.

“I’ll be off now.” Finks said, turning back to Aymeric and he reached out and grabbed her hand in what seemed to be a subconscious action, fingers intertwining almost immediately and palms meeting, levin crackling at the touch.

“Be careful.” He replied, squeezing her fingers once, his voice thick with emotion, and she felt her heart beat a touch faster at the concern implicit in his tone.

“Always.” She smirked and Aymeric laughed wryly at that.

“Says the woman who makes incredibly risky and stupid decisions, by her own admission.” Aymeric replied and released her hand as he dropped his own to his lap, and Finks gave him a cheeky smile as she headed off to her bike, to find out what she could from the Scions.


	15. Sweet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> CW: Explicit Language, Kissing, Alcohol
> 
> Psst... hey you, yeah you... wanna join an amazing server full of inspiring and enabling peeps? Then come join us at [Emet-Selch's Wholesomely Debauched and Enabling Book Club](https://discord.gg/jcgKuYs)
> 
> Hey! Also, so... err... if you're interested in possibly, potentially, peripherally reading any of my original work then you can find it [here](https://www.wattpad.com/user/Finksalion). Thank you for your support! <3

The rubble filled streets were more ominous than before as she made her way to her bike, dark shadows looming where the broken blinking neon lights and general light pollution of Neo-Ishgard didn’t reach. It didn’t take long though, and soon she was on her bike and nearing the Fortemps Industries skyscraper. Finding the small platform that she was looking for, sticking out from the side of the building about halfway up the structure’s base in Foundation, she parked up behind an old dumpster and approached the scruffy emergency exit. The metal double doors were hidden behind a few bags of rubbish, no handles or locks to indicate how it could be opened. However, Finks has been here before; the de facto headquarters of the Scions of the Seventh Dawn while in Neo-Ishgard, rented out from Fortemps Industries who were hidden friends and sympathisers with the ‘terrorist cell organisation’.

Stepping up to the door, she looked straight at the hidden pin-hole camera and smiled, giving a little wave as one of the double doors popped open with a hiss of its pneumatic seal. She slipped in and walked down the darkened corridor as the door swung shut behind her, and then strode through another door at the end of the hallway to find the current Neo-Ishgardian contingent of the Scions busy at work – well, most of them anyway.

A large bank of computers under a long desk stood against the far wall with monitors of varying sizes above it, and overseeing it all was the genius lalafell Tataru, swinging back and forth in her chair and tapping away on a keyboard at light-speed. At another chair in front of the massive wall of tech was also the ‘boy’ that Stephanivien had referred to – a rather short young elezen man whom Finks knew as Alphinaud – not really a child at the age of 22 but unfortunately given the moniker by his ever so slightly younger (by about 5 minutes) – but taller (as she liked to remind him constantly) – twin sister Alisaie.

To the side of the room was a large meeting table with a 3D holographic map hovering above it, and the miqo’te known as Y’shtola stood there, technically blind after her unfortunate and disastrous foray into the highly experimental VR Aetherscape program known as F.L.O.W. They had managed to pull her out mostly unharmed but for her eyes, and Stephanivien had fashioned some high quality cyber optics to allow her to see, but Finks still shuddered when she thought of what might have happened if they had got to her even seconds later. Y’shtola seemed to be studying the map intently, zooming in and out and making notes on her tomestone as she muttered to herself.

The only one in the room who wasn’t working was Thancred, who was currently sprawled out on a sofa in the centre of the room, idly tugging a small ball on a string around the floor for his pet nutkin. 

“Finks! My dear, I’m so glad you were able to make it.” Thancred smiled warmly as she walked over the sofa to land on a spot next to Thancred. He pulled her closer, his arms hugging around her shoulders as if it were the most natural motion in the world. Used to his overtly physical affections, Finks snuggled closer and scratched under the chin of the nutkin who had come over to her eagerly and familiarly.

“No problem – where are the others?” Finks asked, and Tataru harrumphed as Alphinaud sighed, shaking his head slightly, both turning from the monitors to greet their friend.

“Alisaie is off gallivanting gods knows where – she won’t tell _me_. Last we heard Yda and Papalymo are off in little Ala Mhigo, Minfilia is still holding down the fort in the Rising Stones and Urianger is in the Waking Sands with Krile and Moenbryda doing some kind of research on something to do with Astromancers and the Aetherscape.” Tataru listed off the other members of the scions and Finks nodded, relieved that they were all okay for now at least.

“So Stephanivien said that you guys were looking into the disappearances in the Brume?” Finks asked, and Tataru and Alphinaud nodded.

“Indeed, it sounds like we’re treading similar paths at present.” Y’shtola said as she walked over and sat in a nearby armchair, her tail curling up to wrap around her knees as she drew her feet up to the seat of the chair.

“I assume Thancred filled you in on what happened in the Sector 7 warehouses?” Finks asked and the others nodded.

“He also mentioned your current partner on this case - Aymeric, the handsome Knight of HeavensWard? I’d certainly like to know how you started working with him!” Tataru smirked, and Finks rolled her eyes even as the lalafell giggled naughtily.

“Ahem, yes, well anyhow why don’t you fill us in from the beginning about this case?” Alphinaud replied, blushing slightly at his colleague’s glee-filled filthy cackle. Finks nodded and began to go over the main points of the past few days – skimming over certain experiences and outright omitting the night with Aymeric. Once she was finished, the scions considered what she had said.

“Interesting.” Y’shtola said, tapping her finger against her chin as she thought on what Finks had told them about the darts and the liquid. “We initially thought it might have been triggered by an Aetherial hack of some kind but it seems that we were mistaken.”

“Indeed, if it’s being triggered by a chemical substance via dart or syringe then it may be a little easier to control, track and mitigate. Certainly less of a problem than if it were a hack, albeit no less dangerous.” Alphinaud added, getting up and pacing back and forth as he thought on it some more.

“This would make sense given the other occasions we’ve heard of these mutations and why we couldn’t find a link to an aether hotspot of any kind… Do you remember what the one in Saint Valeroyant's Forum said? Something about the SHIVA Program?” Alphinaud said, turning to Y’shtola, and she nodded.

“Yes,” She replied, and then turned back to Finks, “so we’ve found a couple of cases of these strange mutations, although none as well developed as the one you fought earlier today. The one that Alphinaud mentioned was in an abandoned shopfront in Saint Valeroyant's Forum and happened to mention this SHIVA Program, which we can unfortunately find very little about. Of course, we don’t have the resources of the _Knights_ at our disposal so maybe your friend may be able to find out more?”

“Sure, send the details of what you’ve found so far to my tomestone and I’ll ask him to take a look at it tomorrow.” Finks said and the miqo’te nodded in thanks as she duly sent it over.

“That being said, if we were able to work more closely together, we may be able to help out further…” Alphinaud started, even as both Tataru and Thancred glared at his lack of tact even as Finks sighed, exasperated.

“We’ve been over this Alphinaud, I don’t have the time to be running around doing scion chores.” Finks snapped, glaring at the young elezen man, then sighed and started to stand.

“Oh well done Alphinaud, and you were supposed to be _trained in debate_ , were you not?” Thancred asked sarcastically as the elezen man blushed.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to snap Alphinaud, but I should probably be on the move anyway, it’s getting late. Thanks for the info, I’ll let you know if I find anything else out.” Finks said, standing and stretching, and they all nodded and waved as Tataru gave Alphinaud another stern glare.

“Wait, Finks, hang on a second.” Thancred called after her as she made her way to the exit, vaulting over the sofa and hurrying over to her, an arm draping around her shoulder.

“How about a drink? So we can properly catch up.” He asked, and her lips quirked into a smirk as she considered the offer, and what it usually entailed.

“Sure, why not? Let’s go.” Finks decided, consequences be damned, and she continued to walk out with Thancred now draped comfortably across her shoulders.

* * *

They sat at the bar, music blaring out of low quality loudspeakers dotted around the dive they had somehow ended up in. A row of multi-coloured shots lay in front of them, with about three at each end already emptied.

“Oh you’ve _totally_ fucked him.” Thancred smirked, fingers toying with the rim of the next shot on his end of the line.

“I never said that!” Finks replied angrily, grabbing the next shot on her end and throwing it down, wincing at the burn that followed as the amber liquid travelled down her throat. Thancred’s grin widened, and he downed the shot that he had been toying with, shaking his head at the taste.

“You didn’t need to _say it_. I saw that smirk when I joked about the size of his cock. C’mon then, spill the details.”

“Fuck you.”

“Gladly, but we still have so much of the night to explore first. Big then, is he? Does he know how to use it? Is he better than me?”

“Thancred, I am not going to compare Aymeric to you, so leave it alone.” She sighed, and he cocked an eyebrow at that, a smug smile on his face.

“But yes, he is bigger than you. Much bigger.” Finks added, watching as the smug smile disappeared instantaneously. She laughed as Thancred theatrically grabbed his chest and leaned back on the bar stool, almost toppling off. Finks smirked at his dramatic expression of hurt, looking curiously at the next shot – something seemed to have congealed at the bottom of the glass. Shrugging, she pounded it down anyway, surprised by the pleasantly fruity taste.

“Oh well, it’s more about what you do with it that counts, anyway.” Thancred bounced back, looking dubiously at the next shot.

“It’s nice, try it.” Finks said, and his eyes narrowed as that sardonic smile crept back onto his lips.

“You talking about the shot or Aymeric, darling?” He asked and Finks snorted as she looked at the next shot – clear liquid, probably dangerous then.

“It doesn’t matter anyway, it’s a one and done deal.” Finks mused, sniffing at the liquid. Nope, nothing. _Very_ dangerous then.

“Oh Finks my dear, sweet, summer child. I saw the way you looked at each other – there is absolutely no way that you two will be able to keep your hands off each other for long.” Thancred laughed and downed the next shot then immediately paled. “Gods that was horrible!”

Finks didn’t answer immediately, instead staring at the shot in her hands, mind running through the way their hands had immediately sought each other out as she had made to leave back in the warehouse earlier. Chagrined at the memory, she threw the shot back and choked slightly at the disgusting taste. Starting to feel pleasantly buzzed at the amount of alcohol now running through her bloodstream and desperate to change the focus of her mind, she turned to Thancred and leant forward to press her lips against his with some force, their mouths opening simultaneously as their tongues danced with each other.

“Fuck Aymeric, and fuck you.” Finks muttered, her words slightly slurred from the alcohol as they finally came up for breath.

“At the same time? My dear, I’m sure I could arrange something if the Knight was amenable. However, tonight I have other plans for you.” Thancred purred, and then reached for the back of her neck to pull her in for another bruisingly passionate kiss.

* * *

It was a couple of hours later, and they had finished their line of shots in between desperate kisses, unmistakeable gropes and overt fondles, until they had eventually been thrown out for causing too much of a distraction to the other clientele. The specific words used were ‘get a room’ and ‘this is a bar not a brothel’, but they were too drunk to care much by that time. Instead they had started to make their way back to Finks’ home, snatching moments of pleasure where they could; caressing and teasing as they pushed against walls in quiet alleys, kissing and giggling at intersections of traffic while waiting for the lights to change, and that one time when they had been moved on by a weary Knight when Thancred had bent Finks over a barrier in the middle of a plaza after she had whispered something particularly filthy into his ear.

After Finks had tried for the third time to open her door, shifting the mannequin under her arm so she had a better angle, she finally managed to open the garage door and bowed and tipped the top hat she had found herself with to Thancred with a lazy grin on her face. For his part, Thancred continued to sing bawdy Lominsan sea shanties at the top of his voice, tipping a flamboyant pirate hat back at her as he dragged the hard light barrier that he had managed to snag from under a random Knight’s not-so-beady gaze along their travels behind him.

Frowning as he looked at the metal staircase up to her apartment proper, he wisely decided to leave the barrier in the garage and instead helped Finks get the mannequin up the stairs instead. As they reached the top, Finks took one look at the mannequin, still somewhat foggy about where they had got it from – something about breaking into a shop and rearranging the front display into filthy sexual scenarios – and then promptly turned the mannequin to face the wall.

“Stay right there Geva, you’re too innocent to see what happens next.” Finks slurred, patting the head of the mannequin before turning to Thancred with eyes that glittered wickedly, promising much of the night to come, even as he also reached for her with an urgent and needy grasp.


	16. Tongues and Teeth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> CW: Explicit Language, Kissing, Fellatio with Deep Throating, Vaginal Penetration, Vaginal Fingering, Cunnilingus, light single spank
> 
> Psst... hey you, yeah you... wanna join an amazing server full of inspiring and enabling peeps? Then come join us at [Emet-Selch's Wholesomely Debauched and Enabling Book Club](https://discord.gg/jcgKuYs)
> 
> Hey! Also, so... err... if you're interested in possibly, potentially, peripherally reading any of my original work then you can find it [here](https://www.wattpad.com/user/Finksalion). Thank you for your support! <3

Lips clashing, tongues dancing, bodies wrestling with each other, Finks and Thancred writhed together, their hands in and over and around each other’s clothes; unbuckling, unfastening, unbuttoning and in some instances even tearing and ripping, eager to get to the prizes held within. Twirling them around so that Thancred was leaning against the metal railing encasing her stairway, lips still locked in their passion, Finks finally removed his shirt entirely and reached the bare flesh of Thancred’s muscled chest. Broader and more defined since he had started training with the gunblade, Finks murmured her approval as her hands roamed, pinching nipples and tracing muscles with light fingertips. She could hear Thancred groan into her mouth and she chuckled at the sound of his desire even as her hands sought out the waistband of his black leather trousers, tracing the line where leather and skin met around his waist.

With a grin she was sure Thancred could feel, her mouth left his and she licked a long stripe from his neck down to one of his nipples and he groaned louder this time. His hands undid her hair from its buns before he ran his fingers through the long turquoise strands as she laved his nipple with her tongue, teeth nipping every now and then and drawing surprised gasps every time. Dropping to her knees in front of him, one hand on his rock-hard and well-defined abdominal muscles, Finks licked lightly down his treasure trail, unfastening his trousers so her tongue could continue its journey. She chuckled again as she felt the muscles of his abdomen tighten under her ministrations, coupled with the hitch in his breath as she pulled both his trousers and briefs down in one swift motion, revealing his stiff cock to the relatively cool air of the apartment.

“Ahhh Finks my darling, it’s been too long since we’ve dallied like this, I’d almost forgotten what it was like.” Thancred murmured, hands still twined in Finks’ hair as he looked down at her lustily.

“Forgotten, huh? That’ll never do. I’ll just have to remind you then.” Finks smirked, and licked a long stripe from the base of his aching shaft to the very tip. Thancred shuddered in response, the noise he made almost a whine of pleasure.

“Oh that’s a _good_ sound, wonder if I can make you do that again?” Finks grinned, and it widened at the look of annoyance that crossed his face before he clamped his lips shut to stop any further sound from escaping his lips. Still maintaining eye contact with one raised eyebrow, Finks licked her lips and then proceeded to swallow his cock whole until her nose was nuzzling at the nest of hairs curling around the base of his hard shaft. Hazel eyes dark with lust, his mouth dropped open at the sight and sensations she was providing him but it wasn’t until Finks swallowed around his cock and her throat constricted around his sensitive tip lodged deep in her throat that he couldn’t stop himself from once more whimpering in that delectable fashion.

She slid her mouth back up his cock, panting slightly as she removed it entirely from her lips, a thin trail of saliva still connecting them. Eyes still on his, burning with desire, Finks grinned again, viciously, and then proceeded to do it once more even as he thrust his head back and groaned loudly.

“You’re entirely _too good_ at that Finks. Don’t stop.” Thancred growled, hands resting lightly in her hair as she bobbed on his cock, every now and then plunging herself deeper onto him, burying her face into his soft ash coloured curled hair. He groaned every time she pulled him deeper into her throat, unable to stop himself, and her joy shone in her eyes at the breathless sounds she was extracting from this usually unflappable charmer.

“Fuck! Gods yes, just like that.” Thancred cursed as Finks reached down to fondle and tug on his balls as she hollowed her cheeks and increased the pressure on his shaft. One hand still resting on his abdomen, she began to increase the pace of her movements and she could feel his muscles tensing further under her hand even as his fingers gripped her hair to restrain himself from thrusting into her throat. Finks once again looked up at him, watching the expression of bliss on his face as his pleasure mounted, and when he looked down at her the cocky grin on his face was delicious. Once more swallowing him whole, and then swallowing again as his eyes widened and then rolled back into his head at the constriction of her throat, Finks felt a rush of pleasure at the throb of his shaft deep in her throat.

“Finks… I… I’m close, I’m going to –” Thancred started but then abruptly halted as he howled in pleasure instead as Finks, knowing he was near, increased the pressure once more and pumped _hard_. She suddenly felt him erupt, thread after thread of his seed pouring into her waiting mouth and she swallowed it down with a hum that had his knees weakening at the added sensation. Drawing his softening cock out of her mouth, Thancred immediately pulled Finks to her to her feet and pressed her clothed body against his mostly naked form, kissing her passionately.

“Hmmm, that was delicious. I think it’s time for me to repay the favour.” Thancred murmured, kissing down her neck and kicking off the trousers bunched around his ankles as he removed her shirt and chest band, dipping his head to suck her nipples into his mouth one at a time. He didn’t linger for long though, and as he peppered those angel-soft kisses down her torso one of his hands was trailing up her thigh, pushing her skirt up past her hip and then softly running fingers back and forth against her covered slit. Finks’ breathing deepened at his soft, teasing touch, her hips bucking slightly at the gentle pressure - feather light and delicate. Watching her fluttering eyes intently, Thancred swiftly turned them so Finks was now against the railings, and his hands moved to grab hers, directing them to the railings.

“Now you be a good girl and keep your hands right there, darling.” Thancred said smoothly, a mischievous smirk on his lips as Finks gave him a suspicious look but complied with his wishes, grasping the cold metal railing between her hands and leaning back as he knelt between her legs.

“Let’s see what sounds I can get _you_ to create. Bet I can make you be louder than I was just now.” Thancred mused, and Finks looked down at him with one raised eyebrow.

“Try me.” She replied with a determined grin, anticipating the challenge.

“Oh, I intend to, darling.” Thancred growled, grinning viciously before he pulled one of her legs up onto his shoulder and dove into her core, pulling her knickers aside to run his tongue along her wet slit, ending with a quick flick against her clit. Biting her lip, her breath hitched at the feeling of his skilled tongue but she managed to restrain herself from moaning. She peeked down at him and immediately regretted it as he looked at her with narrowed eyes, mischief evident in his gaze.

“Hmm like that is it? Well okay then, you asked for it, my dear.” Thancred smirked, and the next time he licked up against her wet slit he slid his tongue in as far as it would go, tensing it inside her even as one hand reached up to find and lightly caress her pearl, before removing his tongue and allowing it to continue on its journey, lightly lapping up and down with gentle, even strokes. Finks shivered at the sensation and her breathing was coming hot and fast, but she still refused to make a sound as he slid his tongue over and again into her waiting cunt. Almost drawing blood with the pressure she placed on her lip with the effort of keeping quiet, she shivered at the sensations.

“Stubborn as ever I see. I guess I’ll have to get serious.” Thancred murmured with a crooked smile on his face, and Finks’ eyes widened as she felt two fingers nudge at her entrance, collecting her slick on his fingers before pushing them slowly and surely into her. Still looking up at her as his eyes narrowed, he crooked his fingers in her to find that spot that he knew drove her wild and then set his mouth over her clitoris and sucked hard. It was too much for even Finks’ stubbornness to hold out against and she let out a long moan as he continued to massage her with his fingers, his tongue every now and then flicking against her pearl with expert precision.

Once he had gotten her to moan once, it was as if the dam had broken and suddenly she couldn’t stop. The sensations he was pulling from her were so intense as to be on the verge of overstimulation, and as he added a third finger to those already softly pumping and curling in and out of her, he couldn’t help but lift his mouth from her clit and smirk up at her almost continuous moan with pleasure shining in his eyes.

“Oh sweetheart, talking about delicious sounds, you sound so damn sexy right now. How about you do a favour for me and fuck yourself with my fingers?” Thancred growled, and he stilled his fingers as Finks moaned louder and started to rock back and forth on his digits, hands still gripping the railing with intense force.

“Fuck! Thancred please! Curl your fingers slightly– oh Gods yes that’s it! Fuck!” Finks’ words fell from her lips like a waterfall, scattering around the sensations that Thancred continued to pull from her with every roll and thrust upon his fingers.

“Tell me what you need my sweet, tell me what you like. How about this? Do you like this?” Thancred asked intently, one hand reaching up to circle her clit lightly even as his eyes seemed to glow bright with lust-fuelled appreciation. Finks could only nod at his words, her mouth open and panting between moans as she stared down at him, her eyes slightly blurring as she felt her orgasm rise, the throbbing pit of need in her core slowly spreading and causing her hips to shake and twitch at every stroke of his fingers within her.

And then with a twist of the smile on his lips echoing the twist of his fingers within her, Finks felt herself falling off the edge, her ecstasy ripping through her like levin as she convulsed around his fingers, knuckles white as she held onto the railing to keep her upright and standing. As she came down from her high Thancred stood slowly, one hand on her waist to keep her steady as she finally let go of the railing. Thancred smiled and kissed her softly, gently, with great care and affection.

“How was that, darling?” Thancred asked with a small sly grin on his face, one that Finks returned whilst stroking his cheek softly before a mischievous grin spread across her lips.

“Ended strong. Was worried for a second that you’d lost your touch.” Finks teased, chuckling at the indignant expression on his face.

“Lost my touch? _Excuse me_? Oh you fucking minx, I’ll show you.” He growled as he picked her up and threw her over his shoulder.

“Did I touch a nerve, Mr Waters?” Finks teased as she giggled from behind his back and then felt a sharp smack across one butt cheek as he marched over to her bed and threw her down onto the soft mattress, still giggling. She stopped, however, when faced with the expression of pure lust and devilry that was plastered on his face, eyes blown so wide that barely any of the hazel showed and chest heaving as he gazed at her with pure need.

“Skirt, off, now.” He demanded, jaw and fists clenching both as he seemed to be struggling to restrain himself. Giving him an evil smile, Finks began to wiggle seductively as she pulled the skirt slowly down her hips, only to have him reach down and yank it off when she was evidently taking too long. As soon as he had thrown her skirt to the side of her bed, he was on her like a man possessed.

Leaning down on one elbow, one hand reached up to cup her head as his fingers stroked through her hair. The other arm reached down and gripped her hip as she spread her legs around his waist, locking them behind him at the ankles. Positioned as they were, he slowly slid into her, both groaning as she stretched around him and he quested deeper within. As he bottomed out, filling her completely and comfortably, he looked down at her with that same burning passion and she felt his hand grip tighter on her hip as he pulled out and then slammed back in, setting a punishing pace that had Finks moaning and writhing under him in pure unashamed bliss.

“How’s my touch now?” Thancred gasped as he pounded into Finks with wild abandon, and Finks groaned and whipped her head to the side, capturing his index finger in her mouth and sucking on it hard, pulling a strangled curse from his lips at the view. She looked up at him, removing his finger from her mouth, and the look she gave him was ablaze as her hands reached up and gripped his sides as she unwrapped her legs from around him. With one swift motion and buck of her hips, she rolled them over so she was on top, and then ground down and set her own punishing pace as he groaned underneath her. His eyes fluttered closed with another curse as she tensed herself around him, and then opened again with his own fire burning in darkened hazel.

His hands reached for her breasts, curling his fingers around her pert nipples, and before she could even moan her approval he sat up, pressing his chest to hers and leaning down to take a nipple into his mouth as he continued to tweak and caress the other with expert fingers. His other arm reached around and pulled her close to him with a grunt, and she continued to ride him hard as she felt her ecstasy grow once more, gasping with every thrust onto his cock.

Pushing his hand between their sweaty bodies as they grunted and moaned in desire, he found what he sought and started to circle around her clit with one finger, lifting his face from his worship of her nipple to watch her face intently as she shuddered and gasped at the sensation.

“That’s it darling, come for me. I want to feel you spasming around my cock, hear you moan – just for me.” Thancred said, his eyes glowing and his voice low and filled with desire. Finks moaned again, louder this time, as her pleasure once again reached its peak. Thancred joined in with his own growl as an accompaniment, and as she felt herself flutter and squeeze around him, his thrusts became harder and more erratic as his own orgasm threatened to break free.

Finks moaned as she rushed over the edge once more, and as she wailed his name in a broken tone it seemed like that was enough for him to also let go, and they both were lost in a torrent of bliss, adrift in their combined pleasure and hanging onto each other as if it were the only way to remain afloat in the sensations embracing them. As they came down from their incredible climaxes, Thancred fell back to the bed and Finks collapsed on top of him, her limbs shaking and her legs refusing to work properly. She gasped against his chest, listening to his heartbeat thumping as his chest rose and fell rapidly, her own heartbeat only slowly returning to a normal pace at the same time.

“Gods, fuck, well that was intense.” Thancred sighed in satisfaction as he looked down at her, stroking her hair through his fingers with a look of amused wonder on his face.

“I take it all back, Thancred. Your touch is well and truly still intact.” Finks murmured, and a wide grin started to form on his lips even as she realised her mistake and slapped him lightly across his taut, muscled abdomen.

“Don’t let it go to your head, Waters.” Finks grumbled, but his grin didn’t waver.

“Too late.” He replied cheekily, and she couldn’t help but laugh as his arms tightened around her in affection.


	17. A Little Messed Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> CW: Explicit Language, Kissing
> 
> Psst... hey you, yeah you... wanna join an amazing server full of inspiring and enabling peeps? Then come join us at [Emet-Selch's Wholesomely Debauched and Enabling Book Club](https://discord.gg/jcgKuYs)
> 
> Hey! Also, so... err... if you're interested in possibly, potentially, peripherally reading any of my original work then you can find it [here](https://www.wattpad.com/user/Finksalion). Thank you for your support! <3

Aymeric came bounding up the steps of Finks’ apartment two steps at a time, long legs coming to an abrupt halt and hot coffee sloshing over his fingers at what he found.

“Finks, you okay? Your front door was wide open so I came up to check… Fuck!” Aymeric trailed off, his mouth wide with surprise and his eyes filled with disappointment and confusion. Finks bit off a curse at what he must be seeing right now; police barrier, mannequin and strange hats notwithstanding, her apartment was a mess of ripped off clothes scattered by the railings and by the bed, the air heavy with the smell of sex. Finks herself was sat naked in the bed with a sheet pushed down from where it had been perilously perched across her torso and Thancred, half dressed in only leather trousers and boots, was leant down with his lips on hers and one hand firmly grasping her left tit.

“A…Aymeric – you’re early…” Finks stuttered, red splashing across her cheeks in a deep blush, internally cursing herself for her own stupidity as she saw the hurt evident on his features.

“Indeed… I hadn’t thought there would have been any harm in coming an hour early. Turns out I was wrong.” Aymeric replied softly, and he looked away and placed the cups of coffee softly on the side, wiping his hands from the spillage, before looking back at her again after she had hastily covered herself up and pushed Thancred away. Thancred, for his part, looked at the two of them with an amused expression and shrugged, looking around for the rest of his clothes.

“My apologies for worrying you, Detective, it was my fault for the door – I think I may have been otherwise occupied when I was supposed to be securing it for the night.” Thancred said, finally finding his top and coat thrown to the side by the railings. Stretching his top over his muscled torso, peppered lightly with fresh fingernail scratches and sucked bruises, Finks watched Aymeric watch Thancred warily, and sighed as she secured the sheet more tightly around her and moved from the bed. This was not going to be a pleasant experience.

“I didn’t think to bring lunch for _three_ today, unaware as I was that you would have _company_.” Aymeric sniffed superciliously as Finks approached the kitchen area where Aymeric stood, hands flat on the counter top that looked out to the rest of the apartment, his voice frosty. Finks winced but before she could answer, Thancred bounded over – now fully dressed, and draped an arm across Finks, seemingly unaware of the way Aymeric’s eyes hardened like flint at the motion.

“No matter, I wasn’t planning on sticking around this morning anyway. We haven’t actually been formally introduced, have we? Thancred Waters, Slayer of Monsters, Saver of Damsels and sometime Lead Guitarist of the Dutiful Sisters of the Edelweiss Band. Maybe you’ve heard of us? We’re pretty big in Limsa Lominsa.” Thancred stuck his hand out for Aymeric to shake in a friendly manner, and there was a hesitation long enough that it could have been considered rude, before Aymeric reached to shake Thancred's hand almost reluctantly.

“Not my kind of music. Detective Aymeric de Borel, of the Knights.” Aymeric replied shortly, his eyes still ice-cold and his voice still frosty, just on the side of being barely civil.

“Oh? What kind of music is your kind then, Detective?” Thancred asked teasingly, still trying to keep his tone even and friendly, and Aymeric dropped his hand back to the counter.

“ _Good_ music.” He responded shortly, and even Thancred winced at that one. Finks sighed imperceptibly as the tension in the room ratcheted up a touch, and she gave Thancred a look, which was returned with a cheeky smile and a wink.

“Hmm… I can see why you like this one so much Finks, such a gentleman.” Thancred murmured to Finks but loud enough for Aymeric to hear, and Aymeric at least had the good graces to blush at his prior actions, as Finks slapped Thancred’s arm warningly.

“Anyway, please don’t let me keep you two from your plans for the day – let me know how you get on with that information Finks, and an absolute _pleasure_ to meet you again Detective de Borel. I do hope that yesterday was not the last time I get to see you in action.” Thancred winked at Finks and then gave Aymeric a wide, charming smile and a low bow. A tinge of red appeared on Aymeric’s long ears, one eyebrow raised at the flamboyant man’s actions as Thancred turned with a flourish and the whipping of his white coat around his thighs as he made his way down the metal stairs with a wave goodbye. Leaving Finks and Aymeric standing on opposite sides of the breakfast bar, staring at each other over rapidly cooling coffee. The tension was there, and it was growing by the second as the silence grew and congealed between the two of them.

“I’m sorry you had to see that. It wasn’t my intention.” Finks started, after taking a deep breath, her fist tightening around the sheet wrapped around her.

“Oh? And what was your intention exactly?” Aymeric snapped before sighing and blushing slightly. “I’m sorry, that was incredibly uncalled for.”

“I never intended to hurt you, Aymeric.” Finks responded quietly, toying with the lid of the coffee cup that Aymeric pushed towards her even as his eyes remained filled with hurt. They remained quiet for a second, both taking a sip of their coffee in silence, the tension dissipating only to be replaced with an uncomfortable unnamed presence in its wake.

Finks sighed once more into that void of warmth that had existed between them into the past, and swept to the wall of windows and the door that led out into her balcony, opening the door to allow fresh air to rush into her space, clearing out the stale air, and trying to sort through her emotions and thoughts in order to try and clear the chasm that had seemed to spring forth between them. How could she explain how different they were, Thancred and Aymeric, and how different her emotions were about the two of them without also revealing too much?

She turned back to find Aymeric immediately behind her, and gasped as their closeness even as he reached out and stroked her face softly, and she shivered at the touch before he removed his hand and looked away with a regretful expression on his face.

“I truly didn’t mean to question you in such a fashion, Finks. You’ve made it clear that your bedroom activities will have nothing to do with me again, and I will respect your wishes, even if I don’t understand what I did wrong or why it must remain so. I… I guess I was – still am – extremely jealous of him and how he was able to succeed where I have failed.” Aymeric looked at her once, his blue eyes gleaming with hurt and confusion and Finks winced at that expression before they both looked away once more, still standing ilms apart.

“It’s none of my business though, and as much as it may hurt, it wasn’t fair for me to take it out on you, or on him. Pray, please apologise to him for me when next you see him?” Aymeric added, his smooth voice cracked with the emotion of his pleas and whispered, barely heard above the noise of the waterfall outside of Finks’ balcony.

“He… you didn’t fail, Aymeric.” Finks whispered, even as Aymeric started to turn away, shoulders hunched and head bowed. He paused but didn’t turn back even as Finks rushed on, not entirely sure she was doing the right thing but needing to say something – _do something_ – to stop the ache in her heart at the thought of him continuing to believe that he had done something wrong.

“Thancred… he… we know what it means between us, which is to say that we both know we can walk away, no regrets, no questions asked, no tethers to each other. We agreed to that a long time ago, and we hold fast to that rule every time. If either of us feel that it goes beyond that, we stop.” Finks explained softly, and Aymeric turned to face her again, a sliver of hope on his expression.

“We could –” Aymeric started but deflated once more as Finks gave him a harsh shake of her head, cutting off his request, his false declaration, with a single movement.

“No, _we_ couldn’t. We’ve already gone past that point. I… can’t get involved with you again Aymeric, too much is at stake.” Finks mumbled, looking down at her palms and the myriad criss-crossed silvered scars that weaved across her palms and fingers like gossamer thread. Losing herself in the story of her past, she felt his hands close around hers, pulling her back with infinite care and once again reminding her of the connection already formed between the two of them as streaks of levin fluttered across her skin at their touch.

“Is it because of those scars on your hands? The question you asked about tracking someone in Neo-Ishgard? Finks, I understand if you don’t want to talk to me about it, but I want to help. I need –” Aymeric stopped, his hands gripping hers with some intensity as he gazed desperately into her eyes, and she found herself lost in his azure gaze even as he gulped and closed his eyes for a second, settling himself and trying to find the right words.

“I will continue to respect your decision, your body, heart and mind are your own to control, always. But I will _never stop_ wanting to help you, wanting to be with you, even if I never act on it again. I can’t, not anymore, not since…” His gaze turned to the bed, still mussed from her night with Thancred, and Finks sighed, sliding her hands out from under his own.

“I know. And that’s precisely why we can’t be together, not now, not… yet.” Finks whispered, her hands instead reaching up to lay against his chest, even as he bent down, looming over her, his lips ilms from her own as his hands rested on her hips.

“Yet… is enough for me.” Aymeric breathed, and his lips brushed against hers once, briefly, before he then let go of her and took a step back, trying to control his breathing even as Finks desperately sought to calm her own beating heart.

“Damn, but you make it so fucking difficult.” Finks muttered, closing her eyes and feeling the warmth between them flood back into the room, her lips twitching with amusement. She worried still. She had given him something to hope, something to hold on to, and she didn’t know if she could deliver on that potential promise. Did she make the right choice? These thoughts and more ran through her head, even as her heart leapt at the small chuckle that emanated from his lips.

“Good.” He hummed in response, and then turned and strode back to the kitchen, his step a little lighter and the tension in the room completely dissipated. Even as she felt the smile cross her lips she still wondered if this was a good idea.

* * *

Half an hour later and Finks – now showered and dressed, stepped out of the bathroom to the smell of hot coffee and griddled sammiches, her stomach voicing its approval of the delectable smells emanating from her kitchen.

“Gods that smells good, I want.” Finks demanded, and Aymeric handed her a cup of coffee, re-heated and now decanted into a mug. She took a sip and shuddered, and then bit into the sammich that he placed before her. The groan she made stopped him in his tracks for one second, but then he continued easily, taking a bite of the sammich on his own plate.

“You have no idea how much I need this.” Finks sighed after stuffing one half of the sammich down her mouth before he even had the chance to take another bite. Aymeric chuckled at her appetite and immediately started toasting another sammich for her even as he continued to eat his own.

“Burnt a lot of calories last night, I assume?” He asked with a teasing lilt to his honeyed voice and Finks tensed before he smiled and waved it away.

“A joke. Honestly, I’m... fine... with it now. I daresay that the man is probably quite skilled, as charmingly confident as he is, so I don’t blame you for acquiescing to his overtures.” Aymeric replied slowly, still feeling their way cautiously around the discussion, and the tips of his ears pinked slightly. Finks gave him an appraising stare, remembering what Thancred had said the night before, but neglected to comment further, simply raising an eyebrow as she sipped her coffee. Aymeric coughed and blushed harder into the silence, and dropped another sammich on her plate.

“Anyway, did you manage to find out anything useful from your _friend_?” Aymeric asked, his lip curling in amusement as he took a sip of his coffee, and Finks nodded as she ate her way through another sammich half. Between slightly slowed down bites, she filled him in on the discussion she’d had with the Scions, and forwarded him the information that Y’shtola had sent her. Aymeric’s face was at first thoughtful, and then pensive and finally downright grim when Finks mentioned the so called SHIVA project.

“What’s wrong?” Finks asked as he jumped at the term.

“I know that name.” He replied grimly.

“The SHIVA project, you mean?”

“Yeah, it was a project run by the research department of HeavensWard a few years back. Shut down due to apparent safety issues; the lab then burnt down and the Professor disappeared, never to be seen again. I don’t know much about the incident or the project – I was in Knight training at the time – but I can check the company files and see if there is anything that might link it to our monsters.” Aymeric confirmed, but his face was still doubtful and somehow sad.

“You’re upset by the potential link.” Finks stated rather than asked, and Aymeric looked up, warring emotions evident on his features.

“No, well yes actually, I guess. I knew the Professor in charge. Not very well, but enough to have thought she was a good person. I’m just surprised at the idea that she might have been creating monsters out of people somehow. And there’s also the worry that my fath– HeavensWard may be involved somehow.” Aymeric replied.

“We still don’t know what the link is – your father may not have even known about it and she may still be good person. What was her name?” Finks asked, walking over to her PC station while Aymeric followed behind with his cup of coffee.

“Ysayle. Professor Ysayle Dangoulain.”


	18. Safety

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> CW: Explicit Language, Stripping, Teasing
> 
> Psst... hey you, yeah you... wanna join an amazing server full of inspiring and enabling peeps? Then come join us at [Emet-Selch's Wholesomely Debauched and Enabling Book Club](https://discord.gg/jcgKuYs)
> 
> Hey! Also, so... err... if you're interested in possibly, potentially, peripherally reading any of my original work then you can find it [here](https://www.wattpad.com/user/Finksalion). Thank you for your support! <3

The heavy downpour of rain that had started earlier that afternoon beat a rhythmic pattern against the windows, providing a harmonious soothing melody to their research as they tried to find out anything they could on the elusive Professor Ysayle Dangoulain and the SHIVA project.

“Damn. Can’t find anything useful on the general Aethernet, what about you?” Finks cursed as she reached the end of her search on her PC, turning to look at Aymeric stood next to her, leaning against her desk. He pulled himself out of his search, shaking his head and rubbing at his temples.

“A few mentions and some information on what she had been working on is all, but nothing on her current location. Not surprising really, she was a genius in her own right and had worked with HeavensWard so she’d know at least the basics of their security protocols, probably more.” Aymeric grunted, taking the glass of water that Finks proffered gratefully and draining it in one go.

“So what had she been working on then? What was the SHIVA Project?” Finks asked, turning from the monitor to look directly at Aymeric, her hip leaning against the desk as she crossed her arms across her chest.

“From what I’ve read, and what I can find still hanging around on HeavensWard servers, it was a program looking into the development and use of nanites within HALONE tech. Theoretically, Ysayle believed that the nanites could be used for anything from healing and rebuilding the body to linking directly with HALONE tech to allow for synapse-speed connections and calculations. Really revolutionary technology.”

“Hmm… yet HeavensWard shut it down? It doesn’t sound like something they would do just for a small safety issue.” Finks stated sarcastically, and then saw the wince that crossed Aymeric’s face at her slight jab.

“…Sorry, I didn’t mean –” Finks started to apologise but was waved off by Aymeric, who interrupted her before she could finish.

“It’s fine, I know full well what the reputation of my father’s organisation is, and I can’t say it’s undeserved either.” Aymeric replied, somewhat sadly, and Finks’ fingers were interlacing with his before she even realised that she had initiated it. Aymeric looked at her with some surprise, her jaw jutted out pugnaciously as if daring him to say anything, but he just gave her a grateful nod instead. He didn’t let go either, and they stood there for a few seconds before she removed her hand from his and crossed her arms across her chest again.

“Wait, you said rebuilding the body?” Finks asked, stopping for a second as she reviewed the limited information they had. Aymeric nodded grimly and she could see that his mind had gone in the same direction as hers.

“Yeah that’s what I thought too. I don’t know what actually happened to cause her lab to shut down, but it sounds likely that if her experimentation was taken to its extreme limits then it may have resulted in the kinds of monsters we’ve been seeing.” Aymeric confirmed, running his fingers through his tousled hair – a trait that Finks had noticed he did when he was frustrated or upset.

“So is it still Ysayle continuing on with her project underground? Or has someone else managed to get a hold of her research?” Finks asked, more to herself than expecting Aymeric to have the answer and he shrugged in response.

“That’s the question. I think for now if we try to track down Ysayle, at least find out what happened to her, we can then consider where to go from there.” He replied slowly, thinking it through, and Finks nodded shortly before hesitating.

“And if she’s not interesting in helping us?” She asked softly, and was surprised by Aymeric’s wicked chuckle in response.

“That’s why I called in reinforcements.”

“Oh?” She asked, and as if on cue, a loud thump could be heard on her roof, before she then turned to see the same white-haired leather-clad dragoon Knight from their previous misadventure hopping down from her roof to her balcony, giving them both a crooked smile as he stood in the sheeting rain, lance strapped across his back and arms crossed along his chest.

“Hope you don’t mind me letting him know where you lived?” Aymeric asked even as Finks shook her head, walking over to the door of the balcony to let the sopping wet dragoon into her apartment.

“A bit late if I did, wouldn’t you say?” She answered, although there was a smile on her lips and she turned back to Estinien, who bowed slightly as he entered, giving her a small smile.

“Couldn’t find the front door?” Finks asked even as both Aymeric and Estinien snorted in amusement at the same time at her question.

“Where’s the fun in that?” Estinien replied in his deep gravelled voice, shrugging even as he laid his lance to the side and started to strip out of his leathers with alarming speed, peeling the wet clothes from his soaked skin and discarding them where they fell as he walked across her apartment, eyes taking in the layout of her place in one long glance.

“It’s cold out there. Mind if I borrow your shower to warm up?” Estinien asked gruffly, nodding his head in the direction of her bathroom and turned to regard Finks with a wicked smile on his lips, his eyes dancing in amusement and satisfaction as he took in the look of shock and naked appreciation on her face. Finks couldn’t help but run her eyes over his strong, hard, muscled chest and the way his muscles moved and flexed under his skin as he started to undo the belt at the waist of his leather trousers, and he smirked once more as her eyes flicked down to his trousers before she trained her eyes back on his with some difficulty.

He paused in the doorframe to her bathroom, hands poised to pull his trousers down as he waited for her reply, and Finks found she had to swallow hard in order to regain some moisture from her parched mouth as she realised that he didn’t seem to be wearing anything underneath those tight leather trousers.

“Sure, go for it.” Finks finally replied, and he smirked once more, winking once at her and then winking once again over her shoulder at his old friend as he turned to enter the bathroom, both being treated to the sight of slightly paler skin and toned, muscled, pert buttocks as he pulled his trousers down before slamming the door shut with one foot.

Finks took a deep breath, then another one, and then walked back over to Aymeric and her desk, trying desperately to find something to do to take her mind of the dragoon in her shower.

“Exhibitionist.” Aymeric muttered next to her, his voice a mixture of annoyance and amusement at the antics of his friend.

“He certainly is bold.” Finks finally replied after struggling to get a hold of herself, unable to keep some measure of appreciation out of her voice.

“Indeed.” Aymeric confirmed, his voice slightly sullen at watching Finks’ blatant attraction to his friend, and Finks sighed and then turned to lean back against the desk, looking sideways at Aymeric with an amused expression.

“Jealous _again_ Aymeric? My, it really is rather easy to get you frustrated isn’t it?” She murmured, leaning back on the desk and arching her back slightly, revelling in the expression he gave her as she pushed her chest into the air, stretching her back out. Before she could smirk at him once more, he quickly took a few steps to her and casually placed his hands on either side of her on the desk, caging her in place and looming over her as he watched her intently, his eyes blown wide in desire, one thigh firmly pushing between her legs and lifting up to open them further.

“When it comes to you…” He replied, low and demanding, and he lifted a hand to trace her jaw with one finger. Finks felt her heart jump in her chest and her own heart race in time with his increasingly fast pulse as she placed one hand on his chest. He leant closer towards her, his lips parting until they were ilms apart and both breathed rapidly at the tension that sprung up between them.

“I said not yet.” Finks whispered even as their lips almost touched and they hung there for a second, breathing the same air, eyes fluttering at the levin crackling between them. Finally, Aymeric cursed and leant back even as Finks took in a deep, ragged breath.

“You will tell me the moment it is time?” He asked, his voice rough with desire and want, those gorgeous piercing blue eyes gazing at her yearningly, pleadingly.

“Believe me, you’ll be the first to know.” Finks breathed in reply, once again cursing her inability to control herself – especially around this man.

* * *

An hour or so later, Finks and Aymeric managed to control themselves and returned to their research and Estinien, having stepped out of the shower half an hour ago, dried off his leathers as best he could before putting them back on with a slight shudder at the clammy feeling.

“Know where we’re going yet?” Estinien grunted to the two of them, looking curiously at the wooden dummies littering Finks apartment.

“Not yet, unfortunately.” Aymeric replied, and Estinien grunted again in disappointment.

“Maybe we need some outside help – the locations of the monsters we’ve seen so far gives us nothing, so if Ysayle is testing this out on people she’s at least clever enough to do so without a discernible pattern.” Finks mused, trying to consider the issue from another angle.

“So? Who’s going to be able to help us?” Estinien asked, and Finks grinned.

“I was thinking of two people in particular who have their fingers on the pulse of the city.” Finks replied, and pulled her tomestone out, dialling a number.

“Hi Hilda, got a moment? Need a favour…” Finks asked into the tomestone as Hilda answered on the other side.

“If it’s got anythin’ to do with cleanin’ up the mess you and yer frisky Scion friend made last night across half of town then you can go jump down the Crozier waterfall. I ain’t gettin’ involved in that – least ‘cause I can’t imagin’ your new Knight friend’s goin’ to be happy about it when he sees the footage.” Hilda replied and Finks groaned even as Hilda cackled in delight.

“Oh Gods I didn’t think of that…” Finks finally replied, her eyes flicking to Aymeric’s quickly, watching his slight frown before she moved her eye-line somewhere neutral.

“Somethin’ to look forward to then.” Hilda replied, and Finks could hear her smirk in her voice.

“Listen, can you meet us at the Silver Fuller? We need help tracking down someone in the city.” Finks asked.

“Sure, of course. Why didn’cha say in the first instance? Who’s the mark?” Hilda replied easily and Finks sighed in response.

“Because you were too busy teasing me? Anyway it’s a Professor called Ysayle Dangoulain.” Finks heard the slight hitch of Hilda’s breath at the name and paused.

“Now why would you be interested in the Professor I wonder?” Hilda mused, and Finks could hear the tension in her friend’s voice.

“We think she – or at least her research – could be behind the monster that kidnapped Veja.” Finks replied, and she could almost hear Hilda’s thoughts ticking over the tomestone.

“Okay I’ll come meet you. Not sure whether I’ll be able to help you yet.” Hilda replied warily, and Finks breathed a sigh of relief. She wasn’t sure of her friend’s involvement here, but obviously something could have stopped her from helping and Finks wondered what it was. It was obvious, either way, that Hilda knew _something_ about the Professor.

“Thanks, see you in a bit.” Finks answered and hung up to the sound of Hilda’s farewell.

“To the Silver Fuller then?” Aymeric asked, and Finks nodded in reply. 

* * *

Refusing to take a lift from either of them and insisting he would make his own way there, Finks and Aymeric each took their bikes and drove to the Silver Fuller, only to find Estinien leaning up against the door of the foyer as they parked up.

“How the hell did you get here so quickly?” Finks asked, only to receive a lazy smirk from Estinien as he strutted into the Silver Fuller ahead of them. It was early evening by this point, and the Silver Fuller was starting to get pretty busy as they walked into the main hall. Finks caught Haurchefant’s eye as he spoke to someone at the bar, and he gave her a wide smile and caught one of his staff members, muttering something to them before turning back to his conversation. The staff member weaved their way through the crowd and ushered the party over to the VIP area, a quieter space above the din of the main hall where you could still see everything going on below.

“There’ll be at least one more person joining us – Hilda Ware – I assume you know her?” Finks said to the staff member as they took a drinks order and then made to leave. The staff member nodded and then glided away to collect their order. Finks sat down on one of the soft couches up in this space and Aymeric joined her, one arm thrown across the back of the sofa behind her. His hand, brushing up against her long turquoise hair, automatically started to gently coil the tips of her hair around his fingertips, his face rapt as he watched the strands of her hair intertwine in his fingers.

“Aymeric…” Finks warned softly as he leant closer to her, and he seemed to snap out of it, removing his hand from her hair regretfully and leaning back against the sofa with a nod and a slight sigh of regretful acceptance. Estinien leant against the balcony railing and watched the interaction with an amused expression on his face, one which caused Aymeric to frown at his friend.

“What?” He snapped, and Estinien’s smile grew under the irritated tone of Aymeric.

“Nothing, just never seen such a fall.” Estinien smirked and Aymeric scowled, glancing at Finks. Finks averted her eyes, unable to look at either of them as a slow blush spread across her cheeks at the conversation.

“Shut up, Estinien.” Aymeric growled and Estinien’s smile widened even further.

“And I’m a dragoon.” He added, then dodged out of the way as a cushion from the sofa was hurled at him, only to go flying over the balcony.

“My, my, what’s got you so riled up that you feel the need to throw my furnishings around the place?” Haurchefant said smoothly as he walked up the stairs of the VIP lounge to see a pillow flying off into the crowd – luckily missing everyone below, as Estinien cackled and Finks was holding Aymeric back from strangling the dragoon. Aymeric flushed, relaxing against Finks’ outstretched arms as Estinien crept back closer.

“Sorry Haurchefant, it was Estinien’s fault.” Aymeric coughed, blushing at his actions as Haurchefant laughed, his voice tinkling in pleasure at the actions of his friends.

“Somehow I believe that.” Another voice rang out behind Haurchefant, and he stepped aside as Hilda stepped up the stairs and flumped on the sofa next to Finks. She gave Finks and Aymeric an appraising stare, as Finks still had her arms on Aymeric’s chest, and she blushed and snatched her hands back even as Estinien, Hilda and Haurchefant all chuckled at the two of them.

“Okay, yeah, funny, let’s move on. We need to find a woman called Professor Ysayle Dangoulain. We figured that you two might be able to help.” Finks called out above the laughter, trying desperately to stop her blush from deepening. Eventually, as drinks were brought up and passed around, Hilda looked at Finks seriously this time, exchanging a glance with Haurchefant.

“You both know something.” Estinien stated, watching them both with narrowed eyes, and Hilda and Haurchefant both nodded as if coming to an agreement.

“We know where she is, aye.” Hilda replied, and Finks’ eyes widened in shock.

“Just like that? Do you know if she’s involved in the monster sightings?” Aymeric asked, and Haurchefant shook his head.

“I don’t think she’s involved, not directly. Honestly? I would have told you if I thought she was.” Haurchefant replied sombrely, and Aymeric nodded, trusting his friend.

“But indirectly?” Finks pressed, however, and Haurchefant winced.

“… Maybe. A lot of her research went missing when she was forced to run, and she came to me to find a place to hide. I put her in touch with Hilda, and the rest is history. However, there’s a chance someone else picked up her research and ran with it.” Haurchefant confirmed, and Hilda nodded in agreement of her part in it.

“Aye, I don’t know her _that_ well, but I can’t imagin’ she could be behind it. All we ask in exchange for tellin’ you where she is, is that you hear her out, listen to her story.” Hilda asked, and Finks hesitated before nodding. Estinien, however, harrumphed at this.

“And if she puts up a fight or we find her guilty?” He asked, and Haurchefant sighed.

“Just listen to her first, Estinien. I know it’s not your strong suit but do a friend a humble favour and stay your weapon for once in your life.” Haurchefant replied, only to get a grunt in reply.

“Can you help introduce us? Maybe that will make matters go more smoothly?” Aymeric asked and Hilda and Haurchefant both shook their heads.

“Afraid not, if she knows that her position is compromised she’ll run and we’ll never hear from her again. There’s precious little trust left in her life now so you’ll have to go on your own and figure a way.” Haurchefant replied almost regretfully.

“Also, watch out, she knows how to handle herself.” Hilda added, and then pinged the address to Finks. “There, favour done. I better get back to me missus before she throws a conniption.” Hilda said, stretching and downing her drink.

“Tell Lucia I’ll fill her in on the details later, and thanks, friend.” Aymeric said as Hilda stood, and she gave him a nod before waving to Finks and the others and strolling out of the Silver Fuller.

“Guess we should be on our way too.” Finks added, sharing the address with Aymeric and Estinien who both nodded in turn.

“Be careful, you three. I can’t think of a larger disaster than you lot gadding about town but it seems we have little choice. Try not to tear up the neighbourhood too much?” Haurchefant sighed, and gave them a little wave as they all stood up and made their way out of the Silver Fuller to their destination.

Carefully making their way to the hideout location that Hilda had provided, Finks and Aymeric parked a short distance away and kept an eye out as they crept up the stairs of the apartment building, Aymeric stopping every now and then to track any surveillance that might give them away. The building itself was somewhat dilapidated, large holes in the floor scattered here and there showing steel bars and wires – the guts of the building – spilling out on the floor or hanging from the ceiling.

“Where did Estinien go?” Finks whispered to Aymeric, pulling him down so she could speak directly into his ear to avoid extraneous sound.

“He’s around.” Aymeric replied, and Finks shrugged and followed after him, both padding silently through the building until they reached the number Hilda had provided. Taking a deep breath, Finks stood to the side as Aymeric took a quick view of the apartment using an infrared program.

“She’s in there, doesn’t seem aware of us.” Aymeric whispered, and Finks nodded as Aymeric bent down and hacked the lock at the door quietly, the only sound the slight click of the door unlatching. Finks let the door slide open infinitesimally slowly with her hand controlling the speed, and they both made their way in, Aymeric leading the way as he followed the infrared indication of the Professor’s location.

They stood outside the door, taking a deep breath before they both barrelled in, blades drawn, only to find a tall female elezen with flowing grey hair and eyes of ice blue staring back at them calmly, with what could only be described as the barrel of a massive hand cannon pointed in their direction. Finks and Aymeric exchanged rueful glances even as they slightly lowered their weapons.

“Well, fuck.” Aymeric cursed, and Finks couldn’t help but agree with the eloquent assessment.


	19. Fault

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> CW: Explicit Language, Threatened Violence
> 
> Psst... hey you, yeah you... wanna join an amazing server full of inspiring and enabling peeps? Then come join us at [Emet-Selch's Wholesomely Debauched and Enabling Book Club](https://discord.gg/jcgKuYs)
> 
> Hey! Also, so... err... if you're interested in possibly, potentially, peripherally reading any of my original work then you can find it [here](https://www.wattpad.com/user/Finksalion). Thank you for your support! <3

“Not one single movement please, or my dear Diamond Dust here will blast you into pieces so tiny that not even your precious HALONE Tech could identify your remains.” The woman before them said in a rich voice, but one which also had a sharpness laid over it like icicles frozen solid after a cold winter’s night. She indicated to her overly large gun as she spoke, the only touch of warmth in her tone, and then cocked her head as if hearing something that no other could. She smiled, a cold, tight smile, and then looked a little more closely at Aymeric before her eyes narrowed.

“I remember you, Thordan’s son, didn’t you join the Knights in the end? I certainly didn’t imagine that you would one day dance to your father’s tune.” She stated, and Aymeric’s blue eyes hardened under the assumption.

“I’m not.” He replied, his voice as frosty as hers, and she laughed in response, although it was devoid of warmth.

“And yet here you are, breaking into my apartment to presumably kill me and steal my research.” She answered, a slight sneer on her lips.

“You presume incorrectly, Professor. We’re here on an official investigation of the Knights, nothing to do with HeavensWard, and certainly nothing to do with stealing your research or killing you – unless you force our hand, that is.” Aymeric replied, his tone cool and even and seemingly unconcerned with the gun pointed at him.

“Oh?” Ysayle asked, amused and obviously not believing a word that Aymeric said. Her ice blue eyes turned to Finks and widened slightly, her features showing a mixture of shock and awe as she seemed to look through Finks in a way she had never experienced before.

“And who might _you_ be, I wonder? You certainly _do not_ work for the Knights.” Ysayle mused, her eyes softening for an instant before a soft noise behind her hardened them back into ice blue diamonds and she turned swiftly, another smaller gun suddenly in her hand and pointed at Estinien, who had snuck up behind her while she had been evaluating her interlopers.

“Get that impressively large gun out of the face of my friends.” Estinien growled as he ignored the gun aimed directly at his heart, his lance pointed at her back. Ysayle narrowed her eyes but kept both guns trained either side of her.

“Do you think you’d be able to strike me through before I blow the head off of at least one your friends here? Which one do you want to bet on surviving? My moneys on the _Warrior_.” She asked archly, and Estinien grunted but said nothing more, his lance not wavering from its mark as he stared at her impassively. Finks’ heart raced strangely at the last words from Ysayle, and she gave the Professor a searching look, but found nothing other than grim determination. The room was deathly quiet, all four watching and waiting and assessing the dangerous situation they had found themselves in.

“Well, now we find ourselves in this predicament,” Aymeric said into the pregnant, loaded silence, “how about we try to discuss matters calmly in a way that won’t end in violence.”

“Call your pet dragoon off and lower your weapons, then we can talk.” Ysayle countered, her eyes on Aymeric but the gun pointed at Estinien tracked his movements unerringly as he shifted from foot to foot, trying to find a blind spot.

“You first, wench.” Estinien growled from behind her, and she turned and looked at him, eyes wide and face flushed in incredulity, almost forgetting about Finks and Aymeric for an instant.

“Did you just called me _wench_ , dragoon?”

“Aye and what of it? You going to listen to your betters here and lay down your arms, or you going to whine about it like a girl crying for her first pony?”

“I’m a fucking Professor of Chemical Engineering with doctorates in Computer Sciences and Artificial Intelligence, you lanky tactless bastard. If anyone’s the better here, then I can assure you it’s not the fool with the _pointy_ _stick_.”

“And with all of those fancy pieces of paper I still managed to sneak up on you with my ‘stick’. What’s that say about how useful your _big brain_ is?”

Finks and Aymeric shared a glance and a grin as both Ysayle and Estinien continued to throw insults at each other, and they used her lack of concentration to ease apart, making it harder for her to aim at them both with that large hand cannon of hers. Not that it mattered because in the next instant she had stepped closer to Estinien, sweeping Diamond Dust up to point at the dragoons face even as he grinned at her with one eyebrow cocked, his lance ilms from her belly as she stepped closer.

“I knew you were there, you arrogant prick, I just didn’t consider you a viable threat.” Ysayle purred, and the look of tolerant amusement that had been on Estinien’s face dropped, to be replaced with indignant anger.

“I’m the biggest fucking threat you’re ever likely to meet, you pompous smart-arse.” He growled into her face, stepping up to her with a challenge in his furious eyes as the barrel of her gun rested on his forehead. “Don’t believe me? Pull the fucking trigger on your precious gun and watch me fucking dodge and run you though in the next second. I’m not afraid of you, _wench_.”

“I’m not afraid of you either, _fool_.” She hissed back, pressing the gun further into his forehead and they both stood there, anger and hate pouring off them in waves and permeating the room.

“Okay, okay, enough, both of you!” Finks demanded, stepping between the two before Aymeric could even stop her, and lowering Estinien’s lance even as she pushed Ysayle’s guns away with frustration. Both the dragoon and the Professor looked at her with such naked shock at her brazen and frankly reckless move that they let her move them around and disarm them both with shocking ease. Once Finks had both of their weapons in her hands, they both seemed to snap out of it.

“Wai–”

“Wha –?” 

“Right! Now that’s solved, just listen, we’re just here to talk to you, Professor. We think someone might be using your research on the streets of Neo-Ishgard to make people literally turn into monsters and we were hoping to find out what you knew of it, and if you would help us find out who is doing it and how to stop it.” Finks answered, putting their weapons on a table behind her and leaning against it with arms crossed as Estinien, Aymeric and Ysayle all stared at her open-mouthed.

“… What?” Finks finally asked, irritable and confused, and then Aymeric chuckled into the shocked silence.

“Tell me before you do something like that again, Finks, my heart nearly stopped!” Aymeric finally said, and Estinien grunted and glared at Ysayle, moving to lean against a countertop in the small adjoined kitchenette. Ysayle glared right back, arms crossed and leaning against her desk, but then gave Finks a troubled glance.

“You’re speaking the truth? You’re looking into incidents of people changing into monsters?” Ysayle asked incredulously, only to receive a nod from all three.

“We first found out about it in the Brume, where an inquisitor we were investigating turned before our eyes after being injected with the contents of this dart.” Aymeric stated, taking out the dart and holding it in front of Ysayle.

“May I?” She asked and Aymeric hesitated slightly before nodding and handing it to her. Ysayle immediately turned her back to them, taking an empty pipette and opening the dart’s chamber carefully. She took a small amount of the liquid and placed it on a glass slide before inserting it under a nearby microscope and taking a brief look before opening up the larger image on her monitor.

“A bastardised form but it’s based on my research, no doubt about it.” Ysayle mused, tapping rapidly away on her keyboard, making notes and mumbling to herself.

“How did you link this to my research? What led you here?” Ysayle asked even as she continued investigating the liquid and making notes.

“It was more of a hunch than anything else. Some friends of mine passed on that in one instance of a person that turned into a monster in Saint Valeroyant's Forum, they mentioned the SHIVA Program before he was regrettably killed before he could hurt anyone else. We looked into the SHIVA Program, and Aymeric remembered you, and so we tracked you down. That’s about it, really.” Finks supplied, and Ysayle hummed in thought as she continued to make notes.

“I thought that everyone that had even heard of the SHIVA Program – apart from high ups in HeavensWard, obviously, were killed. Do you happen to know the identity of this unfortunate individual?” Ysayle asked, and Finks took a look through the information that Y’shtola had provided.

“Hmm… a lalafell man, occupation is researcher but doesn’t say for who, name of Bobolan Momolan.” Finks answered and Ysayle looked up, shocked for an instant before she sighed sadly.

“Bobolan, you fool, what did you get yourself into? He worked for Dzemael Applied Sciences last I heard – which explains the secrecy around his actual position, NDAs being what they are. He used to work for me on the SHIVA Program but I had to fire him because he kept on trying to make extremely dangerous alchemical concoctions – cures for sleep and so on.” Ysayle replied sadly.

“Wait, you mentioned everyone from the SHIVA Program being _killed_?” Aymeric asked, blue eyes wide and his expression stunned. Ysayle looked at him appraisingly, and then sighed once more, turning from her research and looking to the ground, gathering her thoughts.

“I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt son of Thordan, and assume that you didn’t know. It was probably three years ago now, and the SHIVA Program was initially created as a major update to the HALONE Tech operating system. It was supposed to utilise nanotechnology to speed up connections to the Aethernet, provide higher quality medical and restorative effects, and better links to enhancements and other implants. Anything you could think of that would enhance the link between machine and man, really, and the nanites were supposed to help. Quite revolutionary, and I was so proud to be a part of it.” Her words, ending bitter and filled with self-loathing, trailed off for a second. When she looked up, however, her eyes were flashing with fury and retribution.

“I found what I assumed to be an unwanted subroutine – called the HORDE Program. If switched on, it not only provided almost complete control of the person directly to HALONE Tech, but could also trigger a genetic change in the biology of the affected individual, basically rewriting cell structure and turning them into some kind of monster. At the time it was temporary, the effects would barely last 15 minutes before the nanites would no longer be able to maintain the subroutine and the individual would revert back to their original form and with full control of their faculties. However, I’m sure you can understand how undesirable that would be in a new update. At least that’s what I thought at the time.” Sighing again, Ysayle looked over at the dart and the microscope with a look of deep regret on her face.

“It was intentional.” Aymeric said, looking sick to his stomach and leaning on the table next to Finks, his face pale. Without even thinking about it, Finks reached across and grabbed his hand in her own, giving it a quick squeeze and giving him an encouraging smile. He reciprocated wanly, and his hand tightened on hers as he looked back up at Ysayle, who nodded once.

“I went directly to Noudenet de Jaimberd, my direct superior and Chief Research Officer, only to be told to keep my mouth shut and to forget I saw anything. The more I protested, the more it became obvious that it wasn’t unwanted, it was actually the main reason for the update and that they were planning to release the nanites across Neo-Ishgard in a bid for total control of the city. I couldn’t let that happen, couldn’t let _my research_ be used for such a purpose, so I pretended to acquiesce, then immediately came back to my lab and started to destroy all of my research. I knew I didn’t have much time, they obviously wouldn’t trust me and my research into nanites was sufficiently complete that someone else could probably take up from where I had left off. I left a virus on the system that systematically destroyed most of the data and research, and burnt the rest.”

“You burnt your lab down?” Finks asked, and Ysayle nodded, hesitantly.

“Yes, but no one was there so no one got hurt, or so I thought anyway. The next thing I hear, HeavensWard are claiming that I went mad and killed all of my researchers when I burnt down the labs. Turns out that they executed my researchers and said that they were in the lab at the time. I looked into it after I went on the run and not one autopsy was performed, every single one of my researchers was cremated before the families had any say in the matter.” Ysayle continued, her hands forming fists, her knuckles white with the force of it.

“Every day. _Every. Single. Day_. I think about what I could have done differently, how I could have saved them if I had warned them, but I stupidly, naively thought that HeavensWard would just come after me. At least I could console myself with the thought that they would never get their hands on my research, but now you come and tell me that not only have they managed to recreate it, but that they’re setting it loose on Neo-Ishgard.” Ysayle said quietly, through gritted teeth, and before anyone could stop her, she turned and slammed her fists down on the desk hard once, twice, and once more. Her back still to them, Finks’ heart went out to the Professor as she noticed that her shoulders were heaving with the effort to hold her sobs of despair back. Surprisingly, it was Estinien who spoke into the silence.

“Stop blaming yourself. You did what you deemed right in the circumstances, and wallowing in the past will provide no succour to yourself or those that died. You want revenge? Retribution? Help us bring an end to this instead of wailing and gnashing your teeth impotently.” Estinien growled, and Ysayle’s shoulders stiffened before she chuckled quietly, wiping her eyes and turned to stare at the dragoon with fire in her eyes.

“You really are one of the most unpleasantly blunt assholes I’ve ever had the displeasure of meeting, you know that?” Ysayle said, shaking her head and with the tiniest of a smile hovering on her lips, even as her eyes were red from tears.

“Tell that to someone who cares.” He replied, shrugging and looking away to the window in complete indifference, and Ysayle chuckled again.

“Your obnoxious friend is correct about one thing though. If you’re seeking an end to this travesty then I need to help you – for my own sake, the sake of my lost friends, and the sake of Neo-Ishgard itself.” Ysayle said, looking at them all with an icy resolve.

“He usually is. Glad to have your help, Professor.” Aymeric nodded and put his hand out for her to shake. She grabbed it, and then shook Fink’s hand too.

“Ysayle, please. I’m no longer a Professor by rights. And did you mean he’s usually obnoxious, or usually right?” She asked as she put her hand out for Estinien to shake, and he ignored it completely, just grunting and waving his had dismissively instead.

“Both, unfortunately.” Aymeric replied regretfully, looking at his old friend who only smirked in response.


	20. Are You What You Want?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> CW: Explicit Language, Past remembrances of: murder, death of immediate family members, slavery, allusions to attempted non-consensual sex.
> 
> The third section of this chapter hits heavy, as Finks explains her past - which is not nice. Any and all of the tags for past remembrances above are in this section so if you need to or want to skip it for any reason, please do so and you should be able to pick up the next chapter with little missed information other than a little backstory and an understanding of a sorts being reached between Aymeric and Finks (he offers help to find her brother and she agrees to takes it). 
> 
> Please take care of yourselves people <3
> 
> Psst... hey you, yeah you... wanna join an amazing server full of inspiring and enabling peeps? Then come join us at [Emet-Selch's Wholesomely Debauched and Enabling Book Club](https://discord.gg/jcgKuYs)
> 
> Hey! Also, so... err... if you're interested in possibly, potentially, peripherally reading any of my original work then you can find it [here](https://www.wattpad.com/user/Finksalion). Thank you for your support! <3

It was a few hours after Ysayle had announced that she would help them with the investigation into the monsters, and she had continued to look over and perform experiments on the substance in the dart while Aymeric and Finks read through Ysayle’s research and cross-referenced it to Y’shtola’s data as much as they could. Estinien stood by the window, ostensibly keeping watch.

“Can I have my lance back?” Estinien asked Finks for the fifteenth time in the last few hours.

“Nope.” Finks sighed, rubbing her eyes and sitting back from the reams of information she was trying to take in.

“Never should have bought you that whiskey.” He grumbled, and Finks looked up with a strange mixture of amusement and irritation.

“Yeah? Sucks to be you then because the answer’s still no.” Finks replied deadpan and Aymeric snorted in amusement as he continued to read into details of the SHIVA Project as he sat at the table across from Finks.

“How am I supposed to protect you if I don’t have my weapon?” Estinien replied, a slightly plaintive whine in his deep, rough voice.

“With your good looks and charm? I don’t fucking know Estinien, why don’t you help us instead of staring out of the window and brooding over the loss of your lance?” Finks asked in exasperation, and Estinien looked over and frowned even as both Ysayle and Aymeric chuckled.

“I don’t do paperwork.” He replied shortly, and looked back to the window, ignoring the tittering elezens behind him.

“He’s right, you know. We banned him from submitting written reports at the precinct after the first one came in barely legible and covered in blood.” Aymeric confirmed, catching eyes with an incredulous Finks. She looked over at Estinien, who smirked and gave her a wink.

“You can’t do paperwork and you apparently can’t even stop a small hyur from disarming you. Is there anything you _can_ do?” Ysayle asked mockingly from where she stood by a bench of lab equipment, a pair of safety goggles holding her silver hair away from her face.

“You were disarmed too, wench.” Estinien growled, and one of Ysayle’s eyebrows shot up.

“Yes, but I’m not the esteemed _Azure Dragoon_.” Ysayle responded, and Estinien’s eyes lit up and wide smirk crossed his face.

“Oh so you do know who I am then? Interesting.” Estinien purred, and Finks couldn’t help but notice the light blush that crossed the female elezen’s face.

“Only because of your stupid face getting plastered across the news on the odd occasion that you manage to perform your duties somewhat adequately.” Ysayle replied tartly and Estinien grinned even wider.

“Jealous, envious, or are you just trying to hide that you’re one of my many groupies?” He asked, and the tips of her ears started to redden slightly too. Finks and Aymeric looked at each other with equal looks of chagrin as Ysayle and Estinien started to get ready for round two, but they were all stopped by the sound of a cardboard box falling over on the balcony. Estinien tensed and snatched his lance from the air as Finks threw it over to him, even as Finks and Aymeric both stood and drew their blades, eyes fixed on the balcony as they all prepared for an attack.

“Oh for Gods sake, calm down all of you – it’s just Iceheart.” Ysayle sighed, striding over to the balcony and opening the door to scoop a scruffy white cat into her arms from where it had been trying to crawl out from under the box.

“… You have a cat?” Estinien asked, his eyes trained on the small pile of fluff in Ysayle’s arms, and she gave him a withering glance.

“No, she’s a karakul in disguise.” Ysayle replied sarcastically and Estinien frowned as she moved to a corner of the open kitchen and placed the cat in front of a bowl of food. Estinien followed, and Ysayle gave him a warning look.

“She doesn’t like strangers, I wouldn’t recommend getting too clo –” She started, but before she could finish the sentence, her cat was purring loudly and playing with Estinien’s knuckles as he knelt down and stroked her softly with his other hand, ignoring the others almost entirely.

“Yeah he gets like that with cats, and they all seem to uniformly love him too. I wouldn’t worry about it.” Aymeric clarified as Ysayle watched, shock spread across her face.

For her part, Finks watched Estinien and the cat called Iceheart play together, and couldn’t help but notice the softening of his features, an almost calm aura surrounding him as he smiled gently at the creature mock-biting his knuckles. It was such a difference from his usual demeanour that he almost looked like a different person, and as she turned to watch Ysayle, she could almost see the cogs turning in the professor’s head as she watched her usually prickly cat play with the even pricklier dragoon.

* * *

A few hours later and Finks stretched back in her chair, rubbing her tired eyes and looking at her empty coffee cup accusingly, as if it were its fault that she had drained it almost an hour ago.

“I need another coffee. Anyone else need a refill?” Finks asked and both Aymeric and Ysayle nodded. Estinien ignored her, now sitting in the corner of the living room and still playing with the cat, throwing a small ball of paper and watching the cat pounce with a tolerant expression on his face.

She gathered the cups and popped the coffee machine on as she stretched out in the kitchen, running through a few quick exercises to relax her stiff muscles and get some blood pumping through her body once more.

“How are you holding up, _warrior_?” Ysayle asked from behind her, and she jumped slightly at the use of that word once more.

“Why do you keep calling me that? What do you mean?” Finks asked, and Ysayle looked at her appraisingly, leaning against the kitchen counter and crossing her arms.

“Do your friends know about your… status as a Resistant?” She asked and Finks looked at Aymeric, who was still deep in research. Ysayle caught the direction of her look and nodded, moving slightly closer so her voice wouldn’t travel as far.

“I’m a Resistant too. I also have the ECHO program, like you, and a further subroutine that I’m pretty sure you’re unaware of, even though you have it too. It’s called the WARRIOR subroutine.” Ysayle said quietly, and Finks jumped, the coffee pot clanging against the side of a cup loudly. Aymeric looked over, a small concerned frown on his lips, and Finks smiled reassuringly back at him although she felt nothing like assured. Her hand shook slightly as she picked a spoon up, but Ysayle took the spoon from her and finished making the coffees as Finks leant back, running her fingers through her hair as Ysayle continued to speak.

“I was fifteen when I had my first vision, and realised that I was different from my friends, that I would never be able to use an implant, but that I didn’t need them either. It’s also the reason I got into nanotechnology. You see, the reason why we can’t have implants is because we technically already have a kind of implant, in the form of nanites.”

“You mean like the HORDE nanites?” Finks asked, somewhat aghast, and Ysayle shook her head.

“Not quite, but similar.” Ysayle replied. Aymeric, having watched the interactions and hearing Finks’ exclamation, stood up and walked over.

“Everything okay here?” He asked as he stood by Finks, his arm brushing against her own as she crossed her arms across her chest.

“Yeah, just... learning a few things about myself, it seems.” Finks answered slowly, looking at Ysayle calmly.

“Do you want me to continue?” Ysayle asked, a quick glance at Aymeric and then her ice blue eyes back on Finks again.

“Do you want me to leave?” Aymeric asked almost immediately after, catching Ysayle’s glance.

“It’s fine, you can stay and Ysayle please continue. It’s okay, I trust Aymeric.” Finks replied finally, and Ysayle nodded even as Finks felt Aymeric’s hand softly stroking her back, warm and comforting.

“Back before our technology was sufficiently advanced, there were two competing source codes that were being developed at the same time. No one knows who made them or why, but I have managed to find out their names: ZODIARK and HYDAELYN. I know not what the ZODIARK source code is or what its ultimate purpose is, but I do know that our nanites, and the associated ECHO Program and WARRIOR subroutine are somehow from the HYDAELYN source code. Much of my research has been adjacent to these programs and subroutines, obviously in secret, but it’s been somewhat enlightening.”

“You’re a Resistant too?” Aymeric asked and Ysayle nodded.

“She said that the reason that we can’t have implants is because we already have nanites in our bodies that act as implants in a way.” Finks clarified, and Ysayle nodded again.

“So from what I can tell, the ECHO program can give us visions and - if practised - can also provide the ability to foresee attacks and other insights otherwise unknown to others. It’s the main reason our bodies don’t accept implants, and also the reason why Knights will not be able to data-scrape us, at least not reliably.” Ysayle looked at Aymeric meaningfully, and he nodded and blushed slightly in response.

“The WARRIOR subroutine – rarer still in Resistants – unlocks even more potential. Essentially stamina, strength and regeneration implants all in one with a few other bells and whistles thrown in. I assume you may have realised that you heal quicker than maybe others around you, and you pack a similar punch to those with strength enhancements?” Ysayle asked, and Finks nodded, mutely, her mind racing with all of this information being thrown at her.

“I always called it my secret power. I didn’t know what it was, apart from the fact that it’s kept me alive more times than I can count.” Finks replied, looking at the scars on her hands momentarily before clenching her fists and dropping them back down to her sides.

“Why us? Why were we ‘chosen’ to have these abilities? Is it genetic?” Finks asked, and Ysayle shrugged slightly and shook her head.

“It doesn’t seem to be genetic but I don’t really know. As for why us, I have no idea. It seems to trigger during traumatic periods, but I really don’t know that many Resistants to be able to gather meaningful data on the matter. I can only go by my own experiences, and those that I have heard of in my studies.”

“How many others did you know?”

“With the ECHO program? Maybe a handful but they’re all probably dead now – sold to companies for nefarious purposes, never to be seen again. With the WARRIOR subroutine, however, that would be two. You and I.”

“Wow that many, huh? What does it even mean?” Finks asked and Ysayle shrugged, tapping the spoon in her hand against a cup as she finished making the coffee.

“I don’t know, Finks. I think we may be likely to learn in time, but for now it means not a godsdamn thing other than we can maybe help save those that can’t help themselves.” Ysayle said, and Finks hesitated before nodding, slowly, her mind reeling as she took the coffee absently from Ysayle’s outstretched hand.

“You don’t need to worry about it too much Finks, it’s just one more string to your bow, and one you already knew you had, in a way.” Ysayle assured her, and Finks took a sip of her coffee and then sighed and leant back into Aymeric’s hand, letting the sensation ground her and force her out of her mind and back into reality.

“Sure, uh, thanks.” Finks said, and Ysayle nodded and walked back to her lab area, a fresh cup of coffee in her hand. Finks exchanged a long glance with Aymeric, and then sighed and walked back to the table and the piles of documents and articles they had yet to comb through.

* * *

_(Heavy CWs from this point on, please skip if it will affect you)_

It was early in the morning, and Finks rolled her shoulders back as she pulled herself up from a particularly heavy article into nanotechnology and looked around the room blearily. Ysayle was slumped across her lab bench, snoring lightly, and Estinien was in the corner of the room, also seemingly asleep. Aymeric was still awake and apparently engrossed in the article he was reading, but Finks was honest enough with herself that she was done for the night, and not only because of the heavy reading material. She stood up and stretched again, and then made her way quietly to the balcony, opening the door a touch and slipping through to get some fresh air.

She pondered on all that Ysayle had told her, and couldn’t help but feel somewhat concerned about the implications. She couldn’t deny that the powers provided by these programs running within her via the nanites had saved her ass on several occasions, but the idea that someone or something might be able to control those nanites scared her immensely. As always when her mind turned to the idea of control, her eyes wandered to her palms, and the criss-crossing scars running across her palms and fingers seemed to almost glow silver in the soft moonlight.

“Damn you, Zhi. I will find you.” Finks whispered through gritted teeth, and then sighed and dropped her hands to the railing of the balcony, looking out into the dark, lost in her thoughts. She didn’t know how long she had been standing there, her mind a whirling mass of conflicting emotions and priorities and wishes, when she felt rather than heard Aymeric step up behind her.

“You okay?” He asked softly, almost hesitantly, and Finks turned around to look up at him, leaning against the railing with her elbows propped up on the cold metal.

“A lot to think about.” Finks replied, sighing slightly, and Aymeric nodded in response and stepped closer, taking one of her hands in his and tracing his fingers lightly across the scars on her hand.

“I can’t say that I can fully understand what those programs and subroutines mean, but Ysayle is right you know – you’ve had these nanites in you for most of your life, and nothing bad has come of it. You just have a name for them now.” He said reassuringly, and Finks nodded numbly, watching his fingers follow the lines of her past.

“Eight years ago, that’s when I first felt it.” Finks whispered, and Aymeric paused for a second before resuming his tracing of her scars.

“The ECHO Program?” He asked softly, his honeyed voice soothing Finks in a way that she never would have really expected.

“Yeah. Ysayle mentioned that it could be traced back to a traumatic event, and I think that was the first time that I felt it.” Finks replied slowly.

“Is that where you got these scars?” He asked, and she shook her head, still in a kind of dream-like state as she thought back on her past.

“No, that was about a year later. I… Eight years ago I saw my parents and my sister murdered in front of me, due to the false proclamations of my brother, Zhi.” Finks replied softly, hesitantly, the pain of her memories evident in her tone as she was unable to stop the slight shake in her voice. She heard Aymeric’s intake of breath at the admission, and his grip on her hand tightened slightly.

“I understand if you don’t want to talk about it, but I would like to know – and help – if I can.” Aymeric said softly and Finks looked up at him, seeing the compassion reflected in his eyes. She took a deep breath and nodded before she turned away from him, drawing her hand out of his grasp. She grasped the railing instead and looked up at the sky, the full moon shining down on them. She felt him hesitantly step up closer behind her, his arms either side of hers on the railing and his chest warm against her back. His warm breath spread across the top of her head as he exhaled, ruffling her turquoise hair, and she sighed softly as she thought back once more.

“The short version is that my family were sold into slavery in Nagxia when the company my parents worked for was bought by Garlemald Technologies in a hostile takeover. My older brother, Zhi, was less than impressed by our fall in circumstances, and started to try and curry favour with the local VP of the Nagxia Branch. He told the VP that my parents were corporate spies, and they were immediately put to death, right in front of me and Daiyu, my little sister. She… she ran out to my parents just before they were shot… and I didn’t… I couldn’t grab her in time, and she was caught in the crossfire.”

Finks almost choked as she thought back on the moment. No matter how long ago it was it still hurt immensely, and she deliberately pushed away the emotion so she could continue without breaking down completely. She couldn’t help the tears that trickled down her cheek, and she was grateful when Aymeric removed his hands from the railing and instead wrapped them around her torso, hugging her tightly to him as he listened without comment.

“For his service to the company, my brother Zhi was promoted in Garlemald Technologies to one of their external liaisons. For my sins, I was immediately placed into the VP’s _personal_ retinue of entertainers, where we were expected to dance and serve him tea, among other duties.”

Aymeric’s hissed exhalation spoke volumes on his thoughts on the matter, and his arms tightened around Finks. Her hands reached up to rest on his arms as she turned her head to look up at him, and the look of intense resolve and anger that gleamed in his steely eyes was strangely satisfying. She squeezed his arm in reassurance, and gave him a small smile.

“Nothing like that happened to me, fortunately. It was about a year later when he ‘invited’ me to his personal chambers for the first time. While he was busy with gorging himself on a meal that could have easily fed a family of four, I managed to grab a not very sharp golden steak knife from his table and I stabbed him to death with it.” Finks said with as little emotion in her voice as possible. She couldn’t help but notice the slight shake of her voice, and she opened her hands to stare at her scars once more, an echo of the struggle and the first life she ever took.

“After that I smashed a display case and grabbed a katana – apparently a very good one, I found out later when I learnt how to actually use it properly – and fought my way out of the building. Apparently I decimated the security and earnt myself the nickname ‘the She-Demon of Nagxia’. I also have the dubious honour of piquing the interest of the heir apparent of Garlemald Technologies.” Finks finished with a bitter chuckle, devoid of humour as she considered her past.

Aymeric gently turned her around to face him, lifting her hands to his lips and kissing them once in the centre of each palm, his eyes closed as he seemed to pour his affection into his movements, before he once again put his arms around her and hugged her tight to his chest.

“I’m so sorry you had to go through all of that, and if there’s anything I can do, please just let me know.” He said softly, nuzzling the top of her head as he spoke, and she sighed, some of the tension releasing from her body as he accepted her past so readily and completely. He was too good, really, for the likes of her – a slave turned scrappy killer.

“I can’t ask that of you, of anyone, but you – a Knight – most of all. It’s also the reason why I can’t stay, can’t be tied down to anything, anyone. I need to find my brother, I… I need to make him pay for what he did, whatever the cost.” Finks whispered into Aymeric’s chest, her hands tightening around the fabric of his shirt, curled into balls as the rage at her sibling rolled through her like wildfire, a fury that would never be quenched as long as she still drew breath, a promise – an oath – to her dead family.

“I want to kill him, do you understand? _I mean to kill him_.” Finks said through gritted teeth, her face buried in his chest.

“I understand and while I don’t condone murder, I do want to help you find him, if you’ll allow it? Whatever happens after that will largely depend on you, and him, and I won’t interfere but I do mean to help you come to a decision you can live with – whatever that might be.” Aymeric replied, drawing her back from his chest and tilting her face up to his, so he could look her in the eye. There, in those pools of brilliant blue, she found an almost endless depth of resolve and compassion and all she wanted to do was dive deep and immerse herself in his kindnesses. She couldn’t pull him into this, could she? He didn’t deserve the taint of enabling her to commit fratricide, of aiding her in her quest for vengeance, she couldn’t drag him down with her.

As if reading her tumultuous thoughts, he leant down and kissed her lightly on the lips, stopping her thoughts in their tracks as his soft lips brushed against hers, sending a shiver down her spine at the sensation. He pulled away slightly, watching her expression carefully.

“My decision to make and my consequences to take, but only if you’ll let me. Say you’ll let me help, _please_.” Aymeric whispered, his lips ilms from her own, and she hesitated for a second, two seconds, before nodding once, and then their lips met once more, and the passion in their kiss almost made her forget the pain in her heart, a single tear falling from her eye to mourn the loss of her innocence, and his, at the end of the path they might take together.


	21. At All

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> CW: Explicit Language
> 
> Psst... hey you, yeah you... wanna join an amazing server full of inspiring and enabling peeps? Then come join us at [Emet-Selch's Wholesomely Debauched and Enabling Book Club](https://discord.gg/jcgKuYs)
> 
> Hey! Also, so... err... if you're interested in possibly, potentially, peripherally reading any of my original work then you can find it [here](https://www.wattpad.com/user/Finksalion). Thank you for your support! <3s

Finks stirred, waking from a fitful slumber with her head full of memories of her past, and she immediately froze in place as she opened her eyes to an unfamiliar location, wrapped in the arms of a stranger, no… not a stranger… Aymeric. It took her less than a second to reorient herself, and she then remembered all that had occurred last night.

They were in Ysayle’s apartment – suspect turned ally – and she had found out more about the ECHO program, and the apparent WARRIOR subroutine that also pulsed through her body. She also remembered the conversation she had with Aymeric on the balcony, and her acceptance of his help. She still didn’t know if it was a good idea to involve him or not, but she couldn’t deny that his help would make the search for her brother easier. After that acceptance, their pact sealed with a kiss, they had stumbled back into the living quarters of Ysayle’s apartment and found an old sofa in the corner of the room, slightly threadbare but with a blanket that indicated that Ysayle may have spent more than one occasion napping on this sofa instead of retiring to her bedroom.

Aymeric had slumped down onto the cushioned seat and immediately pulled Finks into his arms, cuddling her up against his broad chest and refusing to accept her feeble attempts at insisting that she didn’t need the comfort he was providing. In truth, given the memories that had plagued her dreams, she was glad at the succour he offered; the warmth of his body and the feeling of his arms wrapped around her was probably the only thing that stopped her thoughts becoming full blown nightmares.

Shaking her head slightly, she packaged up all thoughts of revenge and the past and pushed them to the back of her mind. For now, they had to find out about the rise in this HORDE nanite infestation in the city, and who was behind it – her oath could wait until after the immediate threat to the city was resolved. The small, seething part of her brain saved for her brother Zhi railed at the distraction, telling her that she was using this as an excuse to renege on her promise to make him pay, but she ignored it for now. _His_ time would come.

As if subconsciously trying to quell the beast that growled and clawed within her, Finks felt Aymeric’s arms tighten around her, and felt a soft kiss planted on the top of her head as he awoke, calming the animal within and quietening her thoughts.

“Morning.” He breathed into her ear, nuzzling sleepily at her cheek with his nose, his eyes still closed and a small content smile on his lips. She looked up at him as he opened his eyes, the brilliance of the blue once more sending a jolt through her chest and into her core. She extricated herself gently from his arms, and the glow in his eyes dimmed somewhat as she pulled away.

“Still not the time?” He asked softly as he let her go and she shook her head, looking away to the window and the bright light shining through the glass indicating it was probably close to noon.

“I don’t know. I don’t want to think too hard on what this is, what it might be. Maybe… maybe we take it easy, slow, just see what happens. Is that okay?” Finks asked, her lip between her teeth as she refused to look at him. He gently cupped her chin and pulled her face to his, to look into his eyes.

“Of course, take your time, I’ll wait for as long as I need to.” He answered softly, and Finks sighed and nodded. Then she leant forward and brushed her lips against his, for the briefest of moments. She felt his long raven eyelashes brush against her cheek as his eyes closed in pleasure, and then she pulled away, somewhat regretfully.

“Thanks.” Finks breathed, and he smiled, his eyes still closed and his fingers touching his lips in reverence. He then opened his eyes and the peace and joy that shone in that captivating ocean of blue made her smile in turn.

“Well it looks like you two have at least somewhat resolved your situation, then. Good. All that brooding and angst was giving me a headache.” Estinien grunted from the balcony, where he had obviously just returned from somewhere.

“Shut the fuck up, Estinien. You’re one to talk about brooding, anyway.” Finks replied as she turned and mock-scowled at him, and he winked at her with a wry smirk on his lips before looking past her to Aymeric with a slight nod. Finks sat up fully and stretched her arms, arching her back to work out some of the kinks of sleeping on a sofa for the night. At that point, Ysayle walked in the front door, a hood covering most of her face and a couple of bags in her hands.

“Ah, we’re all awake then. Here, I brought us all lunch.” Ysayle said, putting the bags down on the dining table and clearing away some papers. She glanced over to where Finks and Aymeric sat on the sofa, her lips quirking into a cheeky grin before she looked away and busied herself with taking various food items and drinks out of the bag. Finks ignored the grin and walked over to the table, grabbing a couple of salt cod puffs, a honey bun and a bottle of orange juice. The others all gathered around and grabbed a few items from the pile, sitting at the table and spending a few moments in silence as they ate. After grabbing maybe a couple more salt cod puffs and a slice of Trappers quiche, Finks finally sat back and sighed, rubbing her belly slightly.

“I will never stop being surprised at the amount of food you seem to be able to pack away.” Aymeric said, somewhat in awe, as Finks stretched and eyed another honey bun lustily. However, she decided to resist the temptation and instead took a sip of her orange juice as the others continued to eat at a more leisurely pace.

“The speed of it is also quite fascinating.” Ysayle said, her eyes a little wide as she had watched Finks demolish maybe half of the not inconsiderable amount of food she had bought.

“I like seeing a woman with a healthy appetite.” Estinien growled, giving her his trademark wide smirk, and Finks frowned at them all faintly, even as she continued to sip her juice.

“If we’re quite finished discussing my eating habits, how about we talk about where we’re headed next, and who we think may be behind this.” Finks answered tartly, and Aymeric chuckled in response as Ysayle considered the matter.

“You said that you thought Dzemael Applied Sciences were involved with the first incident? Would it be safe to say that we start there?” Ysayle asked, and Finks nodded while Aymeric looked thoughtful.

“I’ve been considering this for a while, and we’ve done a bit of digging on the side, Estinien and I that is, and we think that this may lay at Tedalgrinche’s doorstep.” Aymeric mused, steepling his fingers in front of his face as he slouched down in his chair.

“Tedalgrinche? You mean the Chief Technology Officer himself? Hmm… he has always been interested in nanotechnology so I guess it would make sense. How would he have gotten hold of my research though?” Ysayle asked, and Aymeric shrugged.

“Would it have been possible for someone of sufficient skill to work their way back up to where you were just before you burnt down the lab, given an earlier iteration of your research?” Aymeric asked and Ysayle considered it with a worried expression on her face.

“Yes, possibly, depending on what state the research was at when it was copied.” Ysayle answered after she thought about it seriously for a few seconds, and Aymeric exchanged a glance with Estinien.

“What did you find?” Finks asked as Ysayle looked up in alarm, and Aymeric gestured to Estinien with a wave of his arm.

“This morning while you all slept in, I paid a visit to the old SHIVA Project labs. They’ve pretty much been left in the same state as I presumed you left them in three years ago. However, I did find something very interesting. Every single one of the hard-drives of the computers had been removed.”

“But I put a virus on the internal lab system, there’d be nothing on those hard-drives, why would they bother taking them?” Ysayle replied, frustration evident in her tone.

“HeavensWard PCs are generally hooked up to two or three hard-drives, each of which contains a fully firewalled back-up. Your virus may have been able to get through the more recent programs and save files, but some of the back-ups were probably retrievable, if they worked on them for long enough. There’s a chance – a small chance – that if the fire hadn’t wrecked the hard-drives, and the virus hadn’t yet reached all of the data, that they might have been able to salvage enough to recreate at least some of your research.” Aymeric answered softly, his smooth voice filled with regret as he spoke.

“But why Dzemael, why not HeavensWard?” Finks asked, and Aymeric shook his head slightly, more of a comment on the circumstances rather than a lack of knowledge.

“It may well have been that HeavensWard sold the research to Dzemael, or contracted them out to do the work for them, they’ve come to such arrangements in the past.” Aymeric confirmed with sadness, frustration and anger in equal measure showing in his tone and on his face.

“And from there Dzemael could have got scientists who could have worked the rest out. Gods, shit, I knew I wasn’t careful enough, this is all my fault!” Ysayle cursed, thumping her closed fist on the table, her knuckles white with the pressure.

“What did I tell you about blaming yourself? What’s done is done, leave it be and work on a solution instead.” Estinien grunted, and his words hung in the air for a second before Ysayle sighed, her fist loosening as she spread her fingers out and flexed them a time or two to release the tension.

“Damnable know-it-all.” She muttered, a small smile hovering at the corner of her lips.

“Supercilious wench.” He replied, with a similar expression.

“Right, well, before the two of you get started on your shit again, how about we discuss how we can confirm if it is Tedalgrinche and Dzemael behind all of this?” Finks asked, and Estinien snorted in response even as Ysayle blushed slightly.

“You two can hardly talk.” Estinien harrumphed, and Aymeric’s eyes widened as Finks coughed on her orange juice at that statement. However, before she had a chance to respond, Aymeric put his hands up to stop the brewing bickering match.

“ _Anyway_. I might have a plan actually. The easiest way to find out if Tedalgrinche and by extension Dzemael is involved would be to check the research in their labs, right?” Aymeric asked, and Ysayle nodded.

“Yes, if I had access to their laboratory computers I should be able to find out if they’re continuing my research or not. However, finding their labs might be a larger task. Most of the corporations keep that information under wraps to stop potential corporate espionage incidents.” Ysayle confirmed.

“What if I could hack into their computer and find out where their lab is held, and then we can break in and get what you need – maybe destroying the research fully in the process?” Aymeric asked with a slight smirk on his lips.

“Impossible. If their system is anything like HeavensWard then they would have separate networks set up with differing levels of security. You’re not going to get the information you need without having access to a secure terminal somewhere in their Headquarters or potentially in an ancillary location – but even that’s a very small possibility.” Ysayle shook her head, her silvery locks fanning across her shoulders as she moved.

“So if I could get a couple of us into Dzemael headquarters using entirely unsuspicious means, then we could somehow find our way to a terminal to find out where the labs were held, right?” Aymeric said, his smile growing wider, and Ysayle narrowed her eyes at him.

“What are you about, Aymeric?” Estinien asked this time, his eyes also narrowing as he watched the expression on his friend’s face.

“Nothing at all. However, it just so happens that Dzemael Applied Sciences are throwing a gala at their headquarters tomorrow evening, and I just so happen to have an invitation – plus one, of course – to the event. Perks of being the heir to HeavensWard I guess. So who wants to be my plus one?” Aymeric asked, and Estinien snorted.

“Lucky ass. I’m out - sounds boring anyway.” Estinien replied, sniffing and looking out of the window. Aymeric chuckled at his response and gave his friend a grin.

“Like I’d want you by my side after the last time you attended a HeavensWard event with me.” Aymeric replied, and Estinien snorted in reply, not bothering to turn to his friend even as Aymeric’s eyes sparkled in remembrance.

“Well now I’m curious.” Finks remarked, and Aymeric chuckled again.

“Suffice it to say, our dear Azure Dragoon does not do well in _polite company_ , especially when he is bored and there is free-flowing alcohol to be had. Lady de Leusignac nearly had a heart attack when Estinien challenged her to a duel, and it was all I could do to stop Charibert, her son and one of the board members of HeavensWard, from killing him over it.”

“Enough Aymeric, no one needs to hear this.” Estinien demanded, his cheeks colouring slightly in response, and Finks looked at him appraisingly even as Ysayle’s delighted laugh tinkled and hung in the air of the otherwise embarrassed silence.

“Oh no, please, I would love to hear more. Lady de Leusignac… she’s almost 70 now, right?” Ysayle asked, and Aymeric nodded as even Finks giggled aloud and Estinien grumbled and stood up, ignoring the chuckles and heading over to the cat.

“In his defence, he was _extremely drunk_ by that point, and the Lady in question was being a condescending ass.” Aymeric added, only to have Estinien’s middle finger waved in his general direction as the dragoon proceeded to ignore everyone in the room.

“I guess that leaves one of you two.” Aymeric said, turning back to Ysayle and Finks, still trying to control their laughter.

“Well that’s an obvious one. I can’t go, I’d probably be recognised and killed in a heartbeat, so it’s going to have to be Finks.” Ysayle said, wiping the tears from her eyes and shrugging lightly.

“True. Well, I guess it’s you and I, then. Would you please be my plus one at this gala, my lady?” Aymeric said grandiosely, his lips quirking in amusement. Finks laughed again, and then frowned.

“But their headquarters are in the Pillars and I don’t have an ident-chip. I’d never make it past Pillars security in the first place.” Finks replied, and Aymeric frowned at hearing that, but Ysayle waved her hand.

“That’s not a problem. One of the things that our ECHO program can do – as well as blocking data-scrapes – is also creating a damn near perfect false ident-chip. I wouldn’t have been able to work for HeavensWard without one, and I certainly couldn’t get one fitted either. I can teach you how to fake it, it’s pretty easy once you know how, and then our princess shall go to the ball.” Ysayle replied, her silver eyes shining with laughter.

“Wow, it can do that?” Finks asked, incredulously and with not a small amount of chagrin as she considered the solution. For almost a year now – as soon as she got to Neo-Ishgard – she had considered the Pillars off limits due to her status as a Resistant. And now, she found out, she could have made it in to search for her brother all along, if she’d just known more about her abilities. Ysayle nodded and Finks sighed and shook her head. Then, looking up at Aymeric, she grinned again.

“Well, my lord, it seems that we have a fancy party to go to tomorrow night. Hope your tuxedo has been dry-cleaned.” Finks said and Aymeric winked at her in reply.


	22. Trendsetter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> CW: Explicit Language, Kissing, Alcohol Usage
> 
> Psst... hey you, yeah you... wanna join an amazing server full of inspiring and enabling peeps? Then come join us at [Emet-Selch's Wholesomely Debauched and Enabling Book Club](https://discord.gg/jcgKuYs)
> 
> Hey! Also, so... err... if you're interested in possibly, potentially, peripherally reading any of my original work then you can find it [here](https://www.wattpad.com/user/Finksalion). Thank you for your support! <3

“Finks? You okay? I'm downstairs.” Aymeric shouted from the garage as Finks stood in her bathroom, putting the finishing touches to her makeup in preparation for tonight’s gala.

They had headed back from Ysayle’s late yesterday evening after she had spent the rest of the day teaching Finks how to control her ECHO program to do a variety of neat tricks, including how to create a fake ident-chip. Aymeric had tested it and was stunned by the results, so Finks figured it would probably do the trick tonight.

“Come up then, why're you waiting down there.” Finks called back down, a wry smile on her lips, only to hear Aymeric’s voice come closer as he climbed the stairs to her apartment, replying to her at the same time.

“The door was unlocked again so I wasn't sure if Thancred had paid you another visit in the night.” He answered from the top of the stairs, the amusement evident in his tone.

“Hmm… never gonna live that one down, am I?” She said as she sighed regretfully.

“No.” Aymeric replied, with a small chuckle.

Sighing again, Finks appraised herself once more in the mirror before exiting the bathroom and immediately smiling at the immaculately presented Aymeric, dressed in a midnight blue tuxedo in a soft wool barathea, lined in a rich dark blue silk and with matching midnight blue trousers. His silk tie and deep U-shaped silk waistcoat matched the colour of the rest perfectly and his tuxedo shirt gleamed white in contrast, flawlessly pressed. He fiddled with sky blue cufflinks that matched the blue earring that he always wore, hanging from his left ear.

Looking up from arranging his cufflinks, he took a deep breath at the sight of Finks, his eyes going wide in shock, before blushing heavily and then his eyes narrowed and went dark in rising desire as he quickly closed the gap between them, his arms immediately going around her silk-clad waist and resting lightly on her lower back. His eyes widened again when he realised that his fingers were brushing against bare skin. Finks smiled at the reaction, exactly what she had hoped for in this semi-traditional garb of Doma.

Her dress was made of a richly embroidered silk brocade, the base colour matching the turquoise of her hair perfectly and the tiny sewn details – stylised depictions of phoenixes and dragons picked out in gold and silver threads – were intricate and delicate in their perfection. The whole dress closely followed the curve of her hips and chest, her shoulders bare as the front reached up in a halter style to enclose around her neck in a richly embroidered Doman-style collar. Her entire back was uncovered, a deep V of fabric wrapped tightly around her sides of and joined to just above her buttocks before running from her hips straight down to just above her ankles. A long slit up the side of her dress revealed one leg to upper-thigh, and her long hair was piled high atop her head, once more accentuating and highlighting her bare shoulders and back.

“You like the dress then, I take it?” Finks asked, semi-breathlessly as Aymeric’s arms tightened around her again, his head immediately falling to her right shoulder as his lips grazed on the skin he found there, nuzzling with fervent delight.

“I’ve never seen a more beautiful sight.” Aymeric said reverently, his lips travelling from where had been grazing on her shoulder all the way up her neck before peppering soft kisses along her jaw, his fingers running up and down her back, as if he couldn’t get enough of her skin under his fingertips.

“You seem to scrub up pretty well yourself.” Finks sighed, her own hands reaching inside his tuxedo jacket to pull him closer, pressing her body against his and grinding against him in desire. She heard his groan at the feeling of her body next to his, and before she knew it, his soft lips were pressing against hers. She took a breath, trying to control her rising emotions, but she couldn’t stop herself from deepening the kiss as her mouth opened, their tongues flickering against each other as they both moaned in tandem.

“Hmm... making me want to renege on the plan in favour of staying here.” Aymeric whispered, eyes closed as they pulled away slightly in order to take a few deep breaths.

“Not sure that’s a choice we can afford to take, unfortunately.” Finks breathed, her eyes on his face as he once more opened his brilliant blue eyes, soft with adoration as he looked down at her. Those eyes, that look, was enough for Finks to pull his head back down to her again, kissing him again with a little more force, and she could feel the grip of his fingers against her hips as he slid them down her silk-clad body, their kiss becoming ever more passionate as their tongues entwined fully, both emitting small grunts and moans of pleasure as they each pulled themselves desperately closer together.

“Fuck! Can’t we get Estinien and Ysayle to go in our place?” Aymeric pleaded as they pulled apart once more and Finks grinned, running her finger along Aymeric’s jaw, watching as it tensed under her fingertips and his eyelashes fluttered in desire.

“And how well do you think that would go?” Finks asked lightly, and Aymeric chuckled.

“Yeah, okay, good point. Let's go before I change my mind then.” Aymeric finally sighed, dragging himself away from Finks with obvious reluctance. Finks pulled him in for one final kiss, brushing her lips against his with a soft moan, and then moved away with an inscrutable smile on her lips as she slipped on a pair of black stilettos. She then looked over to where her katana lay at the side of her bed.

“I am going to feel so naked without my katana.” Finks sighed regretfully, and Aymeric smirked and then nodded in agreement.

“Security is normally tight at these events; metal detectors and such on the way in, strictly no weapons allowed. All put in place after the incident at the Stone Vigil Gala a few years back – Durendaire never lived that one down, it was a massacre.” Aymeric replied grimly, and Finks sighed again, before they both made their way down to where there was an unmarked black saloon car – top of the range – waiting for them. Finks raised an eyebrow at Aymeric, who chuckled in response.

“Perks of being the heir of HeavensWard – we get to attend these parties in style.” He winked and opened the door for her to step into the large plush leather interior before they headed off the Pillars and the night ahead.

They got through the first of the obstructions without issue – Finks nervously provided her wrist through the window of the car, and the guard at the border to the Pillars scanned the fake ident chip with the same boredom that he seemed to show to all of the other people waiting in line. Nodding finally, the window was rolled back up again as the car started to drive up into the Pillars.

“Fuck, that was stressful.” Finks sighed, letting her breath out in one go and sinking down into the seat as her muscles finally relaxed.

“Welcome to the Pillars.” Aymeric said with a wry smile, one which Finks returned as she looked out of the window. It was immediately apparent that they were in a richer section of Neo-Ishgard; the paths surrounding the more thinned out skyscrapers that reached this high were clean and wide and surrounded with neatly pruned trees and ornate benches. As there were less buildings crammed together, the whole area had an air of space and elegance, and even the few people that she saw enjoying the wide walkways were well-dressed, their demeanour relaxed as if they hadn’t a care in the world. It really was a different city up here, and she found herself becoming more and more irritated as they climbed higher.

“I know.” Aymeric said soothingly, as if able to read her mind just from the darkening expression on her face, and he squeezed her hand lightly. His quiet understanding helped her to let go of her anger and frustration at the inequalities of this city.

The car wound around the tall monolith that held the Dzemael Headquarters, and pulled up in front of the main entrance, where several other cars and limos were also dropping off attendees to this Gala, all impeccably dressed and dripping in jewels.

Aymeric stepped out of the car, straightening his cuffs before he offered a hand to Finks, who gracefully accepted and stepped out as if it were second nature. He pulled her hand to the inside of his elbow and rested his hand on top of his arm, and they nodded and leisurely walked towards the entrance as the car smoothly pulled away behind them. At the entrance, feeling a little calmer this time, Finks presented her wrist for checking once again and then let go of Aymeric’s arm to step through the weapons detector with no issue.

Once through the security checks, they both linked arms again and headed to the main event, both looking around as if taking in the luxury while surreptitiously checking the security of this grand hall at the same time. As they headed to the door to the grand ballroom, the announcer once again scanned their ident chips and his eyes widened as he looked at Finks with a surprised expression.

“Ladies and gentlemen, may I present Detective Aymeric de Borel, heir apparent to HeavensWard Corporation and Knight of Neo-Ishgard, and Finksalion Silversource, scholar from the city-state of Sharlayan.”

There was a hushed silence at the announcement, and Finks smirked as Aymeric’s hand tightened on hers at the unexpected use of honorifics as they swept into the room. The murmur in the room started back up again as the next group were introduced, but eyes remained on the unexpected couple as they took a tour around the room.

“Interesting background you decided to go with there, Finks. I hope it doesn’t come back to bite us in the ass.” Aymeric murmured to her and Finks smirked slightly, green eyes sparking with mischief.

“I know enough actual Sharlayans that I think I can manage to fake it. Besides, it’s not as if Finks is my _real_ name.” Finks murmured in return, only to have Aymeric’s eyes widen once more.

“What?”

“Oh come on, you really thought my birth name was ‘ _Finksalion Silversource_ ’? What kind of detective are you?”

“I… what is your real name then?”

“Maybe if you’re good, I’ll tell you one day.”

Finks petted his arm lightly and he narrowed his eyes at her as they both fell silent and gracefully accepted a glass of sparkling wine from the waiter who had approached them.

“Not as many cameras as I would have thought, one to the balcony, another to the main entrance and one over there near the door to what I presume is the atrium for the waiting staff.” Aymeric murmured as they finished their first lap of the main floor.

“Yeah, I saw one on the stairs to the bathrooms too. The security is pretty lax though, guards on all of the entrances but no patrols, and no plains-clothes that I can spot.” Finks replied, and Aymeric grunted in response, taking another sip of his wine and surveying the room.

“I hate these things.” He grunted, his expression darkening as he watched the elite of the city chatter as if there wasn’t a whole tier of city below them that struggled to find food to put on the table on a daily basis.

“But from what I hear you’re really good at socialising and schmoozing at these events.” Finks replied, a teasing grin on her face as he grunted again.

“Doesn’t mean I like it though.” He answered shortly, and Finks grinned again. 

“Bear with it a little longer, I’m going to check out our route.” Finks murmured, and smiled at him before draining her glass and heading for the stairs to the restrooms.

As she passed the guard on the stairs, noting the camera to the side she had mentioned to Aymeric before, she smiled at him sweetly and flashed a bit of leg, glad at least when he seemed to take the bait and glanced at her thigh for a little too long as she started up the stairs. As she got to the corridor where the bathrooms were located, she took a quick, surreptitious look around, noting the second camera down the hallway and also noticing several doors along either side of the hall. She stumbled slightly as if drunk and tried a random door partway down the corridor, past the row of individual and luxuriously decorated bathrooms. Counting in her head as she jiggled the door handle as if confused why it wouldn’t open, she got to 30 seconds before the security guard from the stairs found her. Fairly responsive then, good to know.

“Bathrooms are this way, ma’am.” He said tolerantly, his hand spreading out a little too familiarly across her bare back as he guided her to the nearest actual bathroom.

“Oh thank you so much! Knew I shouldn’t have had that extra glass of wine before we came here.” She giggled, fluttering her eyelashes at him, and he sighed but still took the opportunity to leer at her again as she stumbled into the bathroom, still giggling and giving him a wink.

As soon as she shut the door, however, she dropped the act and checked around the window for alarms, finding none. Listening for the guard for a few seconds, she slowly cracked open the window, and peeked her head out. She looked up, spotting the metal balconies of the executive offices above her – just as the blueprints to this building that Aymeric had managed to obtain had shown – and breathed a small sigh of relief. At least _that_ was accurate so far.

Returning to the gala, giving the security guard a little smirk and a wave as she strutted past, she spotted Aymeric across the room, talking to an old lady sumptuously dressed in silks and pearls. As she approached, the lady looked at her with a wide condescending smile.

“Ah, Aymeric, please introduce me to your friend. I’m _so eager_ to meet the woman that you turned down my sweet daughter for.” The woman said, spite dripping from her voice. Aymeric turned as Finks placed her arm lightly on Aymeric’s and curtseyed slightly at the old crone.

“Finksalion Silversource, this is Lady de Leusignac.” Aymeric said somewhat stiffly, his blue eyes apologetic even as Finks remembered the name of the old woman who Estinien challenged to a duel, and she smiled lightly in response.

“Oh, not even a title? I am _surprised_. I thought you Sharlayan types were supposed to be civilised folk.” The Lady muttered, her eyes glittering as she sought to put Finks in her place. “That being said… it does seem that I recognise that name from somewhere…” She continued, frowning slightly as she tried to place the name, only for Finks to smile wickedly before she schooled her featured back into one more suited to small talk.

“Maybe something you read, my Lady? My exploits are known far and wide, especially my adventures on the high seas with Captain Richard Hammerbush.” Finks said with an air of boredom, and the old lady’s eye’s widened and she coughed loudly as her face went bright red and her mouth formed a small ‘o’.

“Oh! Oh no, I… no I don’t read those… I… must have been mistaken. Please, young lady, you mustn’t ever mention… Pray excuse me… so very nice to have met you, dear.” The old Lady stammered before walking away in a daze as Finks suppressed the urge to cackle loudly. Aymeric looked at her with one raised eyebrow, then looked at the old woman walking away – quietened for the first time ever in her entire life.

“What in the fury was that about?” Aymeric asked, and Finks held onto her sides and tried to stop laughing, bending slightly at the force of keeping it in.

“I’ll tell you later. Suffice it to say that the Lady’s bedside reading habits leave a lot to be desired.” Finks managed to gasp out, even as Aymeric’s eyebrow quirked higher.

“Anyway, are we good to go?” Aymeric murmured, and Finks nodded, snatching a small canape from the tray of a nearby waiter and popping it into her mouth, moaning as the rich taste of pastry and delicate creamed cheese of some kind hit her tongue.

“My gods, get that waiter back here. That was delicious!” Finks exclaimed even as Aymeric sighed and pulled Finks a little closer to him – mainly to stop her from accosting the waiter.

“Focus, Finks. I’ll buy you dinner after we’re done here.” Aymeric said quietly, a touch of exasperation in his tone, and Finks turned and gave him a wink.

“Sounds like a date.” She said with a wiggle of her eyebrows, and Aymeric couldn’t help but laugh even as his arm tightened on hers in desire.

“Back to the subject though, yeah we’re good to go. You want to let our partners in crime know?” Finks replied, but before Aymeric could answer, there was a crackle in Fink’s ear.

_We can already hear you. Fucking Captain Dick Hammerbush? Are you serious?!_

A voice crackled into the tiny earpieces that both Aymeric and Finks were wearing, and Finks muffled a snort at Estinien’s incredulous tone.

“Entirely serious but it would take too long to explain.” Finks muttered, “Anyway we’re ready when you are. We still planning for this to go down during the presentation?”

_Yes, but get to the balcony in 10 minutes so we can drop you the package._

“Sure.” Finks replied, and she looked at Aymeric questioningly.

“Okay, let’s go.” He replied, nodding, and they prepared to put their plan in action.


	23. What Makes A Good Man?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> CW: Explicit Language, Kissing, Alcohol Usage, Brief Oral Sex, teasing
> 
> Psst... hey you, yeah you... wanna join an amazing server full of inspiring and enabling peeps? Then come join us at [Emet-Selch's Wholesomely Debauched and Enabling Book Club](https://discord.gg/jcgKuYs)
> 
> Hey! Also, so... err... if you're interested in possibly, potentially, peripherally reading any of my original work then you can find it [here](https://www.wattpad.com/user/Finksalion). Thank you for your support! <3

Heading out into the cooling breeze that swept across one of the empty balconies, higher up in the city than Finks had ever been, she couldn’t help but gasp at the sight of Neo-Ishgard before her. The dirt and grime of the Brume was indistinguishable from here, and the neon lights of the city glittered above and below like coloured fireflies on a spring evening. It was breath-taking, and it was hard not be drawn into the lie that was Neo-Ishgard when looking at such a view. But a lie it was, a picture of artificial happiness drawn over a city of pain and sorrow, and it made Finks’ heart ache with the falsity it portrayed.

Aymeric came up to stand next to her, leaning against the balustrade with his back to the city, watching the movements of the Gala within the grand hall.

“Beautiful, right?” Aymeric asked, looking over at her with a faint smile on his lips as she took in the view. She could only nod in reply, still spellbound, but her eyes were as hard as diamonds.

“And so very wrong at the same time.” He continued, and she looked at him, once more taken aback by his perception. He ran his fingers through his hair as he saw the look of shock on her face, his smile turning rueful.

“I spent a lot of time looking at a similar view after my mother passed and I was brought back to the Pillars, trying to reconcile it with what I – we – had experienced in Foundation.” Aymeric mused as he looked at the party – another facsimile of innocence and principle pasted over a den of vice and greed – his blue eyes slightly frosty as he thought back on his past.

“And did you? Ever reconcile it, I mean?” Finks asked, her hand creeping over his even as she continued to look out over the city and all of its variegated corruption.

“I did not, and I still can’t. These people, they think they do good, they think they _are_ good, are in the right. They can’t even see what they do to the rest of the city in their constant pursuit of wealth and pleasure. But I can do nothing to help them see; I’ve tried, believe me. Instead I just try my best to make it a better place, where it counts the most, and hope that in time I may be able to do more. It’s not much.” Aymeric said, a hint of bitterness in his voice that Finks was wise enough to realise that he was directing in at himself.

“It’s all we can do, for now.” Finks said, squeezing his hand, and then tearing herself away from the view to give him a supportive smile as he turned his hand to intertwine his fingers with her own.

_If you’re both finished with philosophising on the shittier layers of this swiving city, are you both ready to do some actual work?_

Estinien’s voice crackled through their earpieces, and Finks and Aymeric both smiled ruefully at the tacit agreement of their friend.

_Just because they both have brains and use them on a daily basis, doesn’t mean you need to be jealous, dragoon. Just get ready to jump on those ridiculously over-trained thighs of yours._

Ysayle’s voice came over the line, and Estinien chuckled darkly in response.

_Spend a lot of time looking at my thighs, do you, wench?_

_Just shut up and get over to them, idiot._

Finks and Aymeric gave each other a grin and rolled their eyes at the antics of their companions, and then Aymeric turned to face the view as Finks took watch over the party instead. Maybe a minute later, however, her senses – the ECHO program, she now knew it to be – tingled, and she felt rather than heard the dragoon jumping overhead even as she heard something light land in Aymeric’s casually cupped hands as he leant on the balustrade. He tucked the small dragoon-delivered parcel into his jacket, and turned to smile at Finks.

“Anyone thought about making a dragoon-based delivery company? Could be a good business model.” Finks mused aloud, to the muffled snort of amusement from Aymeric and the tinkling laughter of Ysayle.

_Excuse me? I’m a fucking dragoon, not a fucking delivery boy._

Estinien’s curses filled the airwaves even as Finks and Aymeric nodded to each other, amusement still playing across their features, before they rejoined the gala in time for the main presentation.

As they swept back into the room, the lights dimmed and spotlights landed on a large stage at the back of the room. Finks and Aymeric made their way slowly towards the entrance of the room even as Tedalgrinche stepped on the stage, Finks’ face darkening as she glared at the arrogant blonde asshole from the Forgotten Knight all those nights ago.

“Thank you! Thank you all for coming tonight to view the latest model of the Medica Mark II, our latest Regen implant, made in conjunction with the most up to date medical technology from our friends in Gridania, Twin Adder Pharmaceuticals. Combining cutting edge nanotechnology with laser focussed healing capabilities, it promises to be the best in health and regeneration implants in Neo-Ishgard!”

A round of applause started around the room and Aymeric took the opportunity to head off to the bathroom, squeezing Finks’ arm as he left her in the main room. She waited for a couple of minutes for the presentation to get fully underway, and then headed off in the same direction. As soon as she exited the hall, she started to stumble slightly again, acting drunk once more for the benefit of the guard on duty, and nearly fell into his arms as she started up the stairs.

“Oh I am sorry, darling, are you okay?” She asked, as she rested her hand on his chest, and he smiled tolerantly at her as his hand once more reached around and stroked her bare back.

“I’m fine ma’am, but maybe you’ve had enough for tonight?” The guard said with a smirk on his lips, and Finks hiccupped and batted her eyelashes at him as she righted herself and headed up the steps with a sultry smile.

“Oh, ma’am? All of those bathrooms are in use at the moment – maybe you want to use the ones down this corridor?” He asked, but Finks turned from where she was already halfway up the stairs.

“Oh I know, I’m meeting a _friend_ … shhhhh” Finks giggled and the guard blushed red before he gave her a lascivious look.

“Lucky guy.” He mumbled under his breath, but loud enough for Finks to hear and smirk at him. She turned and sashayed up the rest of the stairs, feeling his eyes on her the entire way up.

As soon as she reached the top of the stairs and was out of sight of the guard, she visibly shuddered and made her way to the last bathroom in the row.

_Laying it on a bit thick, weren’t you?_

Estinien grunted in her ear, and she shrugged even though she knew he couldn’t see it.

“Better safe than sorry.” Finks sniffed, and then scratched lightly on the door before opening it and stepping inside quietly. Aymeric was stood at the sink, his tuxedo jacket and tie removed and hanging across a nearby chair as he rolled his shirtsleeves up to reveal his muscled forearms. Finks inhaled as a bolt of levin swept to her core at the sight, and he turned and smiled at her, those blue eyes once again capturing her.

“See something you like?” He asked with a soft knowing smile on his lips and Finks frowned at him even as he chuckled lightly. He crossed the distance between them and had one arm around her before she could even respond, one hand gently caressing her cheek as the other pulled her closer to his broad chest. They stared into each other’s eyes, their breath coming faster.

“Fury, I want you so much.” Aymeric breathed, his pupils expanding as his fingers spread across her back, only for Finks and Aymeric to both stiffen and almost jump apart as Ysayle cleared her throat in their earpieces, even as Estinien snorted in clear amusement.

_Well, now that we have that vital piece of information, how about we get on with the mission at hand? The parcel that our delivery boy dropped off–_

_-Not a fucking delivery boy!–_

_-should contain a few key pieces. Sorry we couldn’t provide more but weight was a factor, and the EMP device is not light, unfortunately. The pinhole camera and receiver should give you a way to track if anyone is approaching the bathroom so you can get back in time. Stick the camera on the outside of the door – after you’ve used the EMP, mind, or it’ll be fried with the rest of the electronics in a 20 metre radius – and you should be good to go. You’ll have about five minutes after the EMP’s gone off before the cameras and electric locks are fully back online. Unfortunately the EMP will also knock out our communications so you’ll be on your own for the next five minutes. See you on the other side._

“Got it.” Finks confirmed, even as Aymeric took the small round device out of the package, frowning it at until he located the button. Slipping off her stiletto heels, Finks stood by the door, listening for any sounds and with the pinhole camera in the palm of her hand.

“Ready Estinien?” Aymeric asked, only to receive a grunt in response. Grinning, he gave Finks a nod and then leant out of the window with the device in one hand.

“Okay… 3…2…1… Let’s go.” Aymeric said, and then slapped the device to the side of the wall, as high as he could reach, and swore slightly as it gave off a shockwave as it was deployed, stinging his hand slightly. Maybe a second after the device had gone off, a whistling sound emerged from the darkness above his head, only for a dull thump as a grappling hook and line attached to the side of the building, the thin rope hanging down just in reach of the bathroom window.

“We’re good to go Finks.” Aymeric said, pulling the line up to the window as he stepped onto the large windowsill and attached himself to the cord, grabbing hold of the controls. Finks poked her head out of the bathroom door and saw nothing amiss apart from the camera at the end of the hallway no longer blinking. She placed the pinhole camera in the centre of the door where it was likely to pick up the most field of view, and then closed and locked the door using the thick heavy key in the lock of the door. Tucking the camera receiver into the side of her dress, she looked over to Aymeric who had a hand outstretched for her. As she approached and took that hand, he pulled her up close to his chest as she threw her arms around his neck.

“Ready?” He breathed and then grinned as she nodded, both of their eyes glittering with enthusiasm at their activities. Finks took a breath as Aymeric tightened his grip on the line, and then they were shooting up the side of the building, the wind whistling past her ears and causing her eyes to water slightly. Before she knew it, they were at the set of balconies she had seen earlier in the night, and Aymeric set them both down lightly, detaching himself from the rope and tying it loosely to the side of the balcony.

For her part, Finks had released herself from around his neck and lightly stepped over to the balcony doors in bare feet, pulling a couple of lock-picking tools from her hair where they had been posing as hairpins and causing her hair to fall around her face in long, gentle curls. With the electrical locks down, they only had to worry about the mechanical locks, and one quick glance at the camera that was pointed at the glass balcony doors showed that it was still out of service due to the EMP, so Finks crouched down and started work on the lock.

Aymeric stood to the side as she spent a tense 30 seconds or so coaxing the lock to submit to her skills, and he cocked his head as she grinned and removed the picks at a particular click sound.

“You never did mention where you learnt such skills when we talked over the plan the other day.” Aymeric mused, and Finks looked at him with a wink before turning the handle of the door. However, her eyes went wide as the door rattled, still shut.

“Shit.” Aymeric said, stepping forward with his own blue eyes wide with shock and disappointment. Turning to the door, Finks checked that she hadn’t missed another lock somewhere before she then sighed in relief.

“It’s okay, just a latch. The most pointless of all closures.” Finks sighed, pulling the fabric of her dress up her leg to reveal a leather strap, where a sheathed razor thin dagger was held against the soft flesh of her inner thigh. Aymeric’s eyes widened, and then narrowed as she removed the knife and slipped the edge of it between the doors to lift the latch with ease.

“Now how did you get _that_ past the detectors?” Aymeric asked, his pupils dark in the soft moonlight as he seemed unable to tear his eyes away from the expanse of her thigh on show.

“Obsidian dagger – not metal – so gets past most security measures. I’ve found it to be inordinately useful in the past.” Finks said with a cheeky smile as she flashed him a little more leg as she replaced the dagger back between her thighs, and this time opened the door with a flourish.

“Hmm, I can see why.” Aymeric said smoothly, bowing slightly for her to enter first and then following her in, shutting the door behind them. The room that they entered was fairly large and luxuriously decorated – the main focus of the room was the large oak desk with a widescreen monitor on it, to which Aymeric headed as Finks pulled the camera receiver out of her dress and kept an eye on the bathroom door a floor or two below them.

Aymeric worked in silence for a minute or so, his blue eyes glowing in the reflection of the screen as he leant over the desk and tapped at the keyboard rapidly, his delicate, skilled fingers flying across the keys with the same grace with which he usually held himself. Finks couldn’t help but watch with baited breath as he worked, and he smirked and flicked his eyes up to hers, his fingers still working away on the keyboard.

“Distracting you, am I?” He asked smoothly and Finks snorted even as she walked over to the desk and seated herself on the smooth oak, by his side. Her legs crossed as the slit of her dress fell open, revealing her leg all the way to her upper thigh once more and causing Aymeric to take a deep, shuddering inhalation, his fingers faltering on the keyboard for the first time. She leant back on the desk, arching her chest forward, and then looked at him through hooded eyes as he stopped paying attention to the screen at all.

“Speaking of distracting…” She breathed, licking her lips, and his eyes went dark as his whole body leant towards her, need pouring from him in waves. Finks breathed deeply, uncrossing her legs and letting them fall apart slightly, her eyes never leaving his. He stepped over to her and he slowly slipped the silk fabric of her dress up her thighs as he leant closer, one muscular thigh pushing her legs further apart until it was snug against the core of her. Finks groaned as she ground down slightly on his thigh, watching his eyelids flutter shut at the noise she made, and he leant forward with his hand wrapping in her loose turquoise hair and pulled her face closer to his. They stopped there for a second, two seconds, lips ilms from each other as they breathed the same air, both staring at each other with lust shining in their eyes.

“Only three minutes and 15 seconds left.” She breathed into his mouth as their lips brushed together and he chuckled ruefully, the noise and the movement of his lips against hers causing a moan to rip through her chest at the sensation.

“Minx.” He replied, nuzzling at her lips and then stepping back to the monitor, his eyes still dark with need. Finks chuckled as she drew her dress back down, checking on the camera receiver.

“I’m in, and looks like we might be able to get what we want. Scraping the data now, shouldn’t take more than a minute or two.” He said, voice still a little rough but now fully focused on his work.

“Good, because we might have an issue.” Finks said, frowning at the small picture that the receiver provided to her, showing the guard prowling the corridor with a suspicious expression on his face. Aymeric looked up, concern writ large on his handsome features, and Finks shrugged.

“Looks like the guard is getting suspicious.” She clarified, and the frown on his face deepened. He tapped his finger impatiently on the side of the keyboard, and Finks swore as the guard got closer.

“I’m going to head down and see if I can put him off.” Finks decided, and Aymeric hesitated but then nodded.

“60 seconds, and I’ll be right there.” Aymeric said, his honey voice firm and determined. Finks smiled at him, and then headed to the balcony without delay. Grabbing the rope, she smoothly connected herself to the harness and jumped off the balcony, smoothly rappelling down the side of the building. As she climbed into the bathroom window, sending the harness back up to Aymeric, she heard the guard knocking more insistently on the door.

“Just a minute!” She called, stepping into the room, a little breathless from the rapid descent. She could see the rope above swaying out – hoping that it was Aymeric on the other end – and stepped closer to the door.

“Ma’am, I’m going to need you to open the door right now.” The guard on the other side said sternly, knocking once more on the door.

“I said just a minute! Just finishing something up.” Finks called once more even as Aymeric appeared at the window, detaching the grappling hook and letting the whole device fall from the building with one press of the button on the harness before grabbing the EMP device off the side of the wall and shoving it into the folds of his jacket.

“Please, ma’am, open the door right now or I will be forced to unlock it myself.” The guard called through, and indeed she could see the key on this side of the door fall to the floor as he inserted his own key into the other side.

Finks looked at Aymeric with a helpless expression and then with a shrug she pushed him to the sink countertop and fell to her knees in front of him. Quickly unzipping his trousers as his mouth fell open in shock, his hands immediately twisted through her hair as she felt him harden at her hurried touch. The door creaked open as she pulled his thick cock out of his trousers, her tongue licking up his rock hard shaft as he couldn’t help but moan loudly under her ministrations, as unexpected as they were. The guard swung the door open, gun in his hand, but it immediately lowered at the sight before him as he watched, open mouthed as Aymeric groaned at Finks swallowing him down further still.

“Ma’am, I… You’re both going to need to take this elsewhere.” The guard stuttered, his eyes still locked on Finks as she removed her mouth from around Aymeric hastily.

“Oh I’m so sorry, but I did tell you to wait!” Finks replied, slurring her words once more and giving the guard a wide grin and a wink. He flushed red, exchanging an incredulous glance with Aymeric, who coughed embarrassedly, and tucked his still hard cock back into his trousers, zipping them back up.

“We had a slight security risk in this sector Ma’am, I couldn’t wait for you to… finish entertaining your friend.” The guard frowned, his fact still beet red, and Finks pouted, her lip pressing out adorably. Aymeric reached a hand down and helped her to her feet, his fingers remaining on her back as she slipped her heels back on. She could feel the tension in his fingers gripping her skin, and she smiled slightly as he looked down at her, his eyes still dark and filled with the promise of sweet, ecstatic retribution.

“No problem, we’ll take our leave now. We wouldn’t want you to get into any trouble.” Aymeric replied smoothly, turning to grab his tie and jacket, hiding the EMP device in his hand as he threw his jacket over his shoulder. The guard sighed and nodded, leading the way. As the guard turned and they passed the bathroom door, Finks snatched the pinhole camera off the door, removing the last of the evidence of their break-in, and breathed a quick sigh of relief. Aymeric put his arm around Finks, his hand once again pressing against the bare skin of her lower back, sending tingles of pleasure down her spine. The look that he directed at her was positively dangerous, and she shivered when he leant down to whisper to her, his breath tickling her ear deliciously.

“I do hope you’re planning to finish what you started, vixen.” He breathed, his voice rough and deep and gravelled in her ear. She smiled innocently in response and cocked her head, listening with delight to his sharp intake of breath as she exposed her neck to his lips, and he nuzzled lightly at the pale, delicate flesh with a soft moan of need.

“We’ll see.” Finks whispered back, and smiled once more at his hot longing gaze, matched only by her own increasing lust as she saw his pupils growing larger at the idea of having to wait for his revenge. The guard led them out of the Gala with a short nod, and Finks smiled to herself as Aymeric called their car back around.

_You two okay? We’ve only just got contact again – seemed like the EMP worked a little too well. Did you manage to get what you wanted?_

Ysayle’s voice came out of their earpieces after a burst of static, and Finks smiled as she looked over to Aymeric with a smirk.

“Mostly.” Aymeric replied shortly, his voice still gruff and deep with restrained lust as he continued to stare at Finks with those deliciously hot eyes.

_Okay, let’s meet up in the morning and discuss what we found, then we can go from there._

Ysayle replied and Finks smiled wickedly, even as Aymeric grunted, seemingly not entirely trusting his voice yet.

“Great! In which case I believe you promised to buy me dinner?” Finks asked Aymeric, wrapping her hands softly around his bare forearm and rolling her body against his, watching his eyes flutter as he groaned aloud at the sensations she was pulling from him.

“I’ll make it worth your while.” Finks whispered with whole worlds of promise shining in her green eyes, and he groaned again, his arm wrapping around her and pulling her tightly to him.

“Utter minx.” He groaned as their car pulled up and Finks looked up at him and winked.


	24. Mad About You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> CW: Explicit Language, Mentions of Slavery, Alcohol Usage, Kissing, Oral Sex, Spank, Teasing/Denial, Bondage
> 
> Psst... hey you, yeah you... wanna join an amazing server full of inspiring and enabling peeps? Then come join us at [Emet-Selch's Wholesomely Debauched and Enabling Book Club](https://discord.gg/jcgKuYs)
> 
> Hey! Also, so... err... if you're interested in possibly, potentially, peripherally reading any of my original work then you can find it [here](https://www.wattpad.com/user/Finksalion). Thank you for your support! <3

They were silent as Aymeric programmed a route into the self-driving car before it smoothly pulled away from the Dzemael Headquarters. Finks stared out of the window, unable to help but be entranced by the view once more. The same could have been said for Aymeric who stared at Finks unabashedly as her profile glowed with the various neon flickering lights reflected against her skin as the car drove past soaring buildings and flashy advertisements. Feeling his eyes on her, she turned with a soft smile on her lips, which widened into something infinitely more mischievous at his intent gaze.

“See something you like?” She asked, echoing his own question from earlier and then smirking as his eyes narrowed in response. Finks sighed and leant back in the car as she drew her hands slowly up her thighs, pulling the silk up her leg and letting the slit of her dress open up wider. The large amount of thigh on show for Aymeric made his eyes darken in lust, and he leant forward slightly, his eyes transfixed on the wide expanse of soft, pliant flesh before him.

“Very much so.” He murmured, almost a growl with the amount of gravel in his tone, and that voice sent a bolt of levin down Finks’ spine. Turning to face her directly, Aymeric leant forward and closed the small amount of distance between them in the plush interior of the car. He reached out one hand to grip her thigh, long fingers caressing closer to her core as he pulled her legs apart, causing the slit of her dress to widen further revealing yet more skin. His other hand reached up to stroke her cheek, gently pulling her face – her lips – closer to his. Finks couldn’t help but let out a small moan as those clever fingers massaged her inner thigh, brushing closer to the fire blazing within her, and Aymeric’s eyes glowed in response to the noise he had pulled from her.

“Aymeric…” Finks moaned, and he moved closer still, his lips almost touching hers as she tried to swallow down her lust.

“Yes. Anything. What do you want?” He answered softly, nuzzling against her lips, and that voice, those words, almost sent her over the edge of her own desire.

“This… doesn’t look like a restaurant.” Finks finally breathed, her eyes flickering over his shoulder, and she could feel Aymeric’s confused puff of breath against her mouth as she smiled and finally managed to regain some semblance of control over herself. He pulled back with a wry grin as he finally seemed to notice that the car had stopped at their destination.

“That’s because it isn’t. I figured a home cooked meal would be nice after all of our activities tonight.” Aymeric replied, and Finks frowned slightly, raising an eyebrow at Aymeric even as he stepped out of the car, holding out a hand to help her out, as he had done in the gala. The car pulled away as he swiped his ident chip against the door lock and the foyer to this elegant apartment building opened up before them – understated glass and cool marble encasing softly babbling water features and lush greenery. The floor was so polished that Finks could look down and see her own reflection clearly in the swirling gold and white marble.

“So you have a cook, I take it?” Finks asked as Aymeric led her past the attentive concierge to a bank of elevators where he pressed the call button, and the doors smoothly opened before them.

“Nope.” He answered as they stepped inside the gilt elevator, mirrored and polished to a degree that was probably highly impractical, with the low hum of smooth jazz playing in the background.

“Oh, so delivery?” Finks questioned again, frowning as she looked up at Aymeric and he grinned in reply as he pressed the penthouse button.

“No… Believe it or not, but I’m actually quite a good cook myself. So I thought I’d cook for you.” Aymeric replied airily, and Finks’ frown deepened.

“Are you sure you’re a good cook?” Finks asked dubiously, and Aymeric laughed at her sincere expression of doubt.

“Trust me.”

“With my life, sure. With my dinner? I don’t know, that’s asking a hell of a lot.” Finks replied and Aymeric laughed again. He pulled her into his arms, his blue eyes glittering in amusement as his grip tightened around her, before he leant down and grazed her lips with his own.

“Well now I guess I have something to prove.” He murmured, and Finks grinned as she felt his lips brush against hers once more.

“Yes you do, Detective de Borel, and I warn you now, I am a harsh critic.” She breathed, and they both smiled as the elevator reached their destination.

“Welcome to my humble abode, please – make yourself comfortable.” Aymeric said, dropping his arms from around her as the door opened, and Finks couldn’t help but gasp at the gorgeous view presented to her.

Striking in its simplicity, the floor to ceiling windows that greeted her at first showed her a view of the city unlike even that of the balcony at the gala. With very few buildings taller in the vicinity, the view was almost uninterrupted, and the night sky seemed to meld with the glittering lights below to give the feeling of almost floating in space. The terrace – for to call it a balcony would be negating the grandeur implicit in its size alone – wrapped around the entire penthouse, and the glass railings ensured the continuing uninterrupted stunning view.

Within the apartment, stark black metal beams framed the walls and ran across the ceiling, giving an air of slick industrialism which, when combined with the warm brick walls and dark wood flooring and furniture, only served to heighten the feeling of understated wealth and elegance. A large kitchen was at one end of the warehouse style interior, with an island and barstools overlooking the rest of the kitchen. At the other end of the room were a few oversized sofas pointing towards a coffee table so large you could probably sleep on it quite comfortably given a few blankets and a pillow.

The middle of the room held a large dining table with a chandelier made of beautifully wrought steel and glass, organic shapes that made the light emanating from them bounce and reflect and flow as if it were living flame. The dim lighting only served to enhance that stunning view outside, and Finks’ eyes were continually drawn to that view even as she wandered around the rest of the elegantly simple apartment.

Aymeric flung his jacket and tie across one of the bar stools and placed the now inactive EMP device on the top of the kitchen island. He unbuttoned his waistcoat and strolled to the refrigerator, Finks watching with some delight at the easy way in which he carried himself. The top two buttons of his shirt were still undone from their previous activities, and his sleeves were still rolled up around his elbows, revealing those muscled forearms that caused a little frisson of excitement to spark down Finks’ spine at the sight of them flexing and coiling as he performed even simple, everyday tasks.

He took a bottle of white wine out and poured them both a glass, passing one over to Finks as she sat herself on one of the barstools.

“Thanks.” She said, clinking her glass against his briefly before taking a sip. It was nice; cool and crisp and tasting slightly of honey and elderflower.

“Hmm… Lominsan White?” Finks asked as the sweet taste lingered on her tongue.

“Yes… you know your wines?” Aymeric replied, a note of surprise in his voice. Finks smirked at him tolerantly.

“A little… I spent a few months in Limsa Lominsa when I first arrived in Eorzea. Their wine was better than their whiskey, funnily enough.” She responded, and Aymeric gave her a speculative look but said nothing.

“Anyway, I did say I would cook for you, so what would you like to eat? I was thinking of either a creamy salmon pasta, a simple spaghetti carbonara, or a shakshouka with some crusty bread. Any preferences from my dear guest?” Aymeric asked, rooting around the fridge and his cupboards.

“Hmm… pasta sounds good, whichever one you prefer.” Finks answered and Aymeric nodded as he took out some vermicelli, bacon, cheese and a few eggs and busied himself with preparing their meal. His confidence and quick, decisive movements spelled out louder than words that he knew what he was doing, and Finks had to admit that a home cooked meal sounded much better than anything else right now. Slipping off her heels and crossing her leg to massage one foot, she groaned at the pressure she placed on the ball of her foot, and then chuckled at the intense look of desire that crossed Aymeric’s face at her moan.

“Tell me Finks, why is it that every single thing you do – intentional or not – is turning out to be an exercise in endurance for me?” Aymeric asked matter-of-factly, setting the spoon he was using the mix the egg mixture into the pasta to the side as he leant on the counter and looked at her with those brilliant blue eyes.

“Couldn’t possibly say.” Finks answered with a smirk, and took a sip from of her wine as he sighed and continued on with the cooking. A few more minutes passed as she watched him cook, and then he plated up generous portions of the pasta before he hesitated.

“How about al fresco dining?” He asked then, and nodded towards the terrace. Finks nodded and picked up their wine glasses and the bottle as he took their plates and a couple of forks, and then opened the glass door to the terrace.

The wind was fairly strong, as high up as they were in the city, but the bulk of the building protected them from the breeze and the cold and Aymeric set their food down on a glass coffee table before turning on a nearby heater to keep them warm under the stars. Finks placed down their glasses and then sat down on the surprisingly plush leather and metal sofa, pulling her legs up under her and giving Aymeric a smile as he passed her a dish and a fork. After taking a bite of the pasta her eyes widened in shock and he grinned at her expression.

“Wow you actually can cook.” She gasped, and he smirked in response, taking a bite of his own dish before refilling their wine glasses and taking a sip.

“I thought we’d already determined that I was house trained?” Aymeric replied with a grin, and Finks chuckled before wolfing down the rest of the pasta at a somewhat alarming pace. As she finished the meal and took a sip of the wine, Aymeric paused before chuckling once more.

“I don’t think I’ll ever get used to that, but it’s adorable in a – ‘I really don’t know where you put all of that food’ – kind of way. Would you like more?” Aymeric smiled warmly, and Finks laughed and curled further into the sofa with her glass of wine.

“I’m good for now but I’ll let you know if I do – that was really gorgeous.” Finks replied, and Aymeric’s smile widened as he continued to eat.

“It’s a holdover from working as a slave in the mines I think.” Finks answered eventually, but with some steel in her tone, answering the unasked question. Aymeric paused, but didn’t interrupt as she continued speaking.

“We never really knew where our next meal was coming from, and it wasn’t unknown for slaves to kill each other over food, so it was a case of eating it as quickly as possible before anyone else could steal it from you.” She continued, and Aymeric nodded as he finished his pasta and put his plate on the table, his expression sombre and compassionate.

“Makes sense.” He responded, tenderness in his smooth voice. Finks looked out and watched the stars glittering in the clear sky with a distracted look on her face.

“It’s even more beautiful from up here. You can see so far, even to outside of the city.” Finks murmured, looking over the city to the horizon, where the sky merged with the land in absolute darkness.

“Yeah, the view is what prompted me to buy this place. From here you can almost forget the city and feel like you’re amongst the stars themselves.” Aymeric replied, looking out at the sky himself.

“Helps that your view is on the opposite side of the HeavensWard building too.” Finks noted cheekily, and Aymeric laughed ruefully.

“You noticed, huh? Yeah that would be the second reason why I chose this place.” Aymeric confirmed, and they shared a small smile, inching a little closer before Aymeric gave her a quizzical look.

“You never did explain that thing with Lady de Leusignac earlier. What was that about?” Aymeric asked, and Finks gave him an impish grin.

“Oh, that. Well I told you my name wasn’t actually Finks Silversource. What I didn’t tell you is how I happened to choose that name in the first place.” Finks replied with a cheeky smile and Aymeric cocked his head inquisitively.

“I needed a new name, and quick, when I was first on my way to Eorzea. Just so happened that the Captain of the ship I was travelling on had a smut book about the carnal adventures of a Sharlayan scholar and a certain Captain Richard Hammerbush. Written by an apparently prolific writer of such romance novels who goes by the pen name Finksalion Silversource.” Finks finished nonchalantly, and Aymeric burst into fits of laughter, the idea of Lady de Leusignac furtively reading such novels and – more importantly – being caught out on it, was just too delicious, given her puritanical stance on matters between the sheets.

“Oh fury, now I understand why she was so put out… That’s… it couldn’t happen to a nicer woman!” Aymeric gasped, wiping away tears from his eyes and filing away that little piece of information for later.

“I thought you might like that.” Finks replied, grinning as Aymeric finally managed to get a hold of himself again after a minute or so of grabbing his sides in laughter.

“It’s Baozhu, by the way. Li Baozhu. My… name.” Finks said softly, almost a whisper, and Aymeric leant in and stroked her face as he considered this knowledge.

“It’s a pretty name.” He started hesitantly, but Finks shook her head with a soft smile on her lips as she looked up at him.

“It’s strange… it doesn’t really feel like my name anymore, if that makes sense? But I wanted to tell you, anyway. I think… I like Finks more, she’s… stronger.” Finks finished and Aymeric regarded her steadily, stroking her cheek once more.

“I like Finks too.” He replied simply, and then he leant down and captured her lips with his, and she was blown away by the intensity of his kiss, levin running through her veins as he pulled her closer, his arms wrapping around her as the wind ruffled their hair. Once again she felt that golden thread – strong as skysteel – connect the two of them together and her lips pressed against his with bruising force, finally letting herself go and revelling in the force of her desire for this handsome, competent elezen before her.

“I do believe there was some talk of me finishing what I started earlier?” Finks asked, her voice low as she broke away from their kiss, breathing heavily. Aymeric’s eyes widened at that admission, and he let Finks push him back onto the sofa as she started to unbutton his shirt, leaning over him and kissing the revealed skin above each button as she made her way down his muscled chest. Aymeric groaned below her as she traced her tongue lightly across his skin between each kiss, his hands reaching into her hair and curling long silky strands of turquoise loosely around his fingers as the evidence of his arousal grew under her.

“Unless you want me to stop…” She asked mischievously as she finished unbuttoning his shirt and ran her fingers lightly down his chest, pushing the crisp cotton to the side and marvelling at his muscled torso once more. All of the memories of their previous night together crashed into her mind at once, and she couldn’t help but gasp as she recalled the pleasure they had wrung from each other time and time again, and her breathy exhalation caused Aymeric to groan loudly.

“Oh _Fury_ , please don’t.” He growled, his eyes blown wide and dark, and Finks chuckled even as she couldn’t help but roll her body against him, eliciting another groan of pleasure. Taking her time, and with her eyes on his for the entire duration, she slowly unbuckled his belt and pulled his already thick length out of his trousers. Wriggling further back on the couch, she continued to keep her eyes on his as she licked up the entire length of his hard cock, delighting in the way he shuddered as those gorgeous blue eyes rolled back into his head at the sensation of her mouth on him once more.

“Did you like feeling me sucking you into my mouth while the guard watched earlier?” Finks whispered, licking up his straining shaft once more before breathing softly on the tip and grinning as he moaned, his fingers tightening in her hair as he tried desperately to restrain himself from thrusting up into the wet warmth of her mouth.

“Fuck!” He groaned as his breath came in small gasps and Finks chuckled before she sucked the head of his gorgeously thick cock into her mouth, swirling her tongue around the tip and bobbing up and down a couple of times.

“What do you think would have happened if he hadn’t done his job and escorted us off the premises? Would he have continued to watch as I swallowed as much of your shaft as I could? Would he have grown hard as I choked on your cock?” Finks continued in that breathy whisper, taking her mouth off his cock and watching as he looked down at her pleadingly, his eyes wide. She stroked his shaft a couple of times, reaching lower with her other hand and cupping his balls gently, drawing yet another moan from his soft lips.

“Finks…” Aymeric groaned, and then he gasped once more as Finks took more of him into her mouth, as if echoing the descriptions she had just tortured him with. Pushing herself to take as much of him as she could, Finks started to increase her pace, using her hands where her mouth couldn’t reach as she struggled to take more of him in with every bob of her head. She could feel him throbbing in her mouth, and the noises he was making only served to push her harder, to draw more of those delicious howls and groans from that beautiful voice.

“I’m close… Finks… I…” Aymeric growled, lifting his head to stare into her eyes with an intensity that sent a sharp thrill down to her core, and his hands fisted in her hair as he gritted his teeth and cursed again as Finks increased her tempo once more. Throwing his head back with a final desperate groan, Finks moaned as she felt him throb and pulse, thick strands of his come filling her mouth and threatening to drip from the corners as she swallowed as much as she could. She looked up at him as she finally pulled her lips from his cock, wiping the corners of her mouth and giving him a lazy grin as she tucked his softening length back into his trousers and zipped him back up.

“Worth the wait?” She asked cheekily and he narrowed his eyes at her as he struggled to regain his breath and then pulled her up onto his chest, sighing and pressing her body to his bare torso.

“Always.” He muttered, combing his fingers through her hair with one hand as he tipped her chin up to his face with his other. He kissed her gently at first, but soon it deepened and Finks couldn’t help but moan as his grip around her tightened once more.

“However, I do think your little stunt earlier may warrant _some_ kind of punishment…” Aymeric mused, and Finks’ breath caught at the implication as he sat up with her cradled in his lap. Standing with ease, even with her in his arms, he swept them back into his apartment and through one of the doors at the end of the room, which revealed itself to be a bedroom. A large bed sat in the middle of one wall, facing yet another bank of floor to ceiling windows, and Aymeric placed her gently on the bed, watching her with dark eyes as she wriggled to the edge and looked up at him with a deceptively innocent expression.

There was something almost predatory about his gaze as he looked down at her, pulling off his unbuttoned shirt and waistcoat without removing his eyes from hers, and Finks couldn’t help the moan that escaped her lips at his wicked grin. Stepping out of his trousers and briefs, he then crooked a finger at her and she immediately stood up, shivering as he turned her around and started to remove her dress. His long, delicate fingers traced across her skin, unclasping the dress collar and peeling the top from her torso, bending down to rain kisses on her neck and shoulders as his hands continued to unzip and then slide the dress off her body, letting it drop to the floor around her feet.

He stopped for a second as his fingers fluttered across her hips, and Finks smirked as she heard his sharp intake of breath.

“No knickers?” He said evenly, although the slight shake in his voice belied his frustrated desire as he seemed to realise just how close he had been to revealing that fact at several points throughout their mission. Finks turned and gave him a cheeky grin, which earned her a sharp slap of her ass and she yelped in surprise before he pulled her close, her back flush to his abdomen as she could feel him hard once more.

“Do you trust me?” He whispered into her ear, and she hesitated for less than a second before nodding, and then moaning as she felt his clever fingers once again stroking lightly across her breasts and down her stomach.

“What’s your safe word, sweet samurai?” He whispered once more, and she shivered at the idea even as she placed herself in his hands for the night.

“Blue” She breathed, her voice hitching slightly as he pinched one nipple between his thumb and forefinger, giving it a light tug.

“Mmm… My favourite colour.” He murmured as he reached down and grabbed his belt from his trousers before he pushed her gently onto the bed, flipping her onto her front and straddling her thighs as he smiled down at her.

“Mine too.” She breathed as she looked up at him with a challenging smirk, one he then returned as he grabbed her wrists and gently wrapped his belt around them and then secured them to the headboard, leaving her stretched out and naked on his bed, writhing slightly in anticipation of the night ahead.


	25. I Will End Where He Begins

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> CW: Explicit Language, Kissing, Oral Sex, Teasing/Denial, Edging, Bondage, Vaginal Fingering, Vaginal Sex, Begging, some Dom/Sub overtones.
> 
> Psst... hey you, yeah you... wanna join an amazing server full of inspiring and enabling peeps? Then come join us at [Emet-Selch's Wholesomely Debauched and Enabling Book Club](https://discord.gg/jcgKuYs)!
> 
> Hey! Also, so... err... if you're interested in possibly, potentially, peripherally reading any of my original work then you can find it [here](https://www.wattpad.com/user/Finksalion). Thank you for your support! <3

She grinned as she watched Aymeric above her, straddling her thighs as she lay on his bed, his eyes dark with desire and an unreadable expression on his usually open face. She could feel the leather belt around her wrists, tight enough to restrain her hands against the headboard but with enough give to remain comfortable. She tugged on the belt a couple of times, craning her head to look up, and then turned back to him with a crooked smile on her lips.

“Why Aymeric, I had no idea.” She smirked, and the returning smile that he gave was positively wicked. Finks shivered once more as she felt a touch of that feral animal flexing its claws within his compelling gaze, causing her to moan lightly. Lifting himself from her thighs, he reached down and drew his hand lightly up one of her legs, drifting delicately along her inner calf and continuing up to her thigh until his fingertips reached the leather sheath containing her obsidian dagger.

“Won’t be needing this tonight, I hope.” He muttered as he unbuckled the strap from her leg and tossed it aside, and then his fingers continued their leisurely journey, trailing across her now completely bare skin, goose bumps trailing behind his touch.

Finks couldn’t help the small whimper that emerged from her mouth at the sensations of feather-light strokes along her inner thigh and then she gasped as he firmly pulled her legs apart, kneeling in-between her now parted thighs and grinning at her as he leant forward, spreading her legs further, hands gripping her upper thighs.

“Five nights.” He growled, his voice low and filled with need and Finks squirmed under his grip at the tone of his voice, the wanton need that dripped from it sending thrills through her.

“Five long nights of wanting you, dreaming of you…” He trailed off, his eyes roving all over her body, and then he was leaning down and capturing her lips in his own, their kiss hard and passionate and filled with yearning. She could feel it clashing with her own want, her own need, and while that small part of her brain screamed about the danger, _the distraction he posed_ , she couldn’t bring herself to care right now. It was right, _it felt right_ , and all she wanted in this moment was him, only him.

“Hoping that I’ll be able to feel you under me once more, the feel of your skin…” He continued as he broke from their kiss, his hands drifting across her skin as he spoke, a touch of wonder in his voice even as his eyes remained blown wide with lust and desire. Finks moaned and writhed under his delicate strokes as he pinched her nipples lightly, his eyes still boring into her, before he reached down and licked from the base of her neck to just below her belly button. The levin that ran down her as his tongue travelled across her skin drew a deep groan from her throat as her back arched under him, and she could feel the delighted smile on his lips at the involuntary bucking of her torso towards him.

Looking up at her from where he knelt, his face inches from her wet cunt and his hands once again on her thighs, he grinned once more with that same devilishly dark smile. Barely any blue left, he kept eye contact as he moved closer, spreading her legs even further apart as his fingers gripped into her upper thighs once more, hard enough to leave a bruise. Finks moaned at the thought of that, which only served to increase his grip on her thighs as he growled at her erotic exhalation.

“Five nights with the memory of your taste on my tongue, and wondering if I would ever get to taste you so completely again…” He whispered, before licking lightly up her soaked slit, causing her to once more jump and groan, hands anchored at the headboard and her heels digging into the mattress as her hips lifted clear off the bed to try and follow that wicked tongue of his as he moved away.

“Mmm… Just as delicious as I remembered.” He smirked at her whine of need.

“Aymeric… please…” Finks moaned, trembling with the anticipation of having his tongue skilfully pleasuring her once more.

“Fury, you beg so beautifully, how can I not want to hear more of it? It haunts my dreams, driving me to distraction, and it’s been making me so damn hard at the idea of hearing it again.” He murmured once more, and Finks moaned again – as much at his words as at the feeling of his tongue once again lightly caressing and exploring her folds.

“A… Aymeric… Gods, please I need to feel you, I’ve wanted to feel you again so much, it’s been torture…” Finks moaned, her head slamming back against the pillow as her arms strained against their leather bonds. Her words drew a soft groan from Aymeric and he buried his face into her cunt, licking and sucking at her drenched slit with abandon, as if it were the last meal he would ever get to enjoy. It was too much and not enough at the same time and Finks lost herself in the skill of his tongue as he continued to lap at her, fucking her with his tongue, and every now and then leaning up to suck at her clit and make her gasp at the added sensation.

She could feel her thighs trembling under his continued onslaught and she knew she was close, so close, and then all of a sudden he was gone, and she looked down to find him sitting back on his heels, smiling at her wickedly as he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. 

“Speaking of torture.” He grinned and Finks looked at him with fire in her eyes as she truly tested the strength of her bonds for the first time that night.

“Don’t you fucking dare, Detective de Borel!” Finks spat, and he chuckled even as he crouched back down again, this time holding her hips in place.

“If you’re really against this then do please remember our safe word. However, in lieu of that being mentioned, please note that I’m going to take you to the edge of your pleasure as many times as I can possibly manage this night. And when you’re trembling and sobbing with desire and begging me for more, then I’m going to fuck you so hard that yours legs will give out.” Aymeric said clearly and precisely, making Finks shudder with the commanding tone in his voice, as well as his succinct description of the night ahead.

“Fuck.” Finks breathed, and then inhaled sharply as Aymeric dove down between her legs, his tongue once again lashing at her and driving her back up to dizzying heights.

“ _Fuck!_ ” She exclaimed once more, this time with gritted teeth as she felt him pull away just as she was reaching her peak. Her cunt clenched around empty air, throbbing hard, as she was held down firmly by his strong hands on her hips, and she glared at him even as he grinned down at her with those gorgeously rich and piercing eyes.

“No more begging? That saddens me, I guess I’ll have to try harder then.” He murmured, and this time his lips closed around her clit as two fingers made their way into her soaking wet cunt, sliding in with ease. Finks moaned as she felt him stroke slowly in and out of her with his long, delicate fingers, and her hands clenched and formed fists, twisting the leather belt around her wrists with her need. Beautifully ecstatic and maddening at the same time, as Finks was brought shockingly close this time she could feel her toes curling as she strained for release, only for all stimulation to be removed at the last moment, leaving her panting and whining in frustration.

“Aymeric…” She cried softly, her voice strained as she felt her body start to climb back down yet again, shivering as she felt overstimulated nerves slowly stop their pulsing dance across her aching core, deep breaths allowing her to control herself once more.

“Not. Yet.” He growled in response, watching her carefully as she gathered herself back together, only for him to pull her back apart, piece by piece, time and again, with loving care and intensity. Finks wailed under him, each onslaught of pleasure followed by abstention pushing her further down a path of lost control, her mind slowly shattering under the force of his insistent denials until all she could think of was the peak of her rapture, everything extraneous stripped away as she was left bare and wanton, tempered by his touch.

Three fingers entered her and stretched her out deliciously this time as his tongue flicked across her clit lightly, making her jump and tense as she felt so very full, but still not full enough. She could hear muttering and wailing even as her mind blanked out, white once more as he pulled away and left her teetering on the edge of her orgasm but with no way to fulfil her own desires, to take the plunge she so truly desperately wished for. It was only as sense came back her in the ebb of this ecstasy that she realised that the babbling, murmuring voice she had heard had been her own.

“–reck me, ruin me, fill me with that gorgeous cock, please, I’ve wished for nothing more since feeling you inside me, so tight and full and perfect and _oh my fuck_ Aymeric, please just fucking take me, please I need you inside me so badly, _please_ I’ve wanted it again for so long…” Finks trailed off as she finally came back down from his latest sortie only to see Aymeric wide eyed and open mouthed at her filthy entreaty, achingly hard at her words, her begging, her _want_.

“Fuck me, Finks.” He whispered in awe at the intensity of her begging, only for Finks to chuckle wickedly as her green eyes blew wide open as she lost the final fragment of control over her own restraint. Then with a single twist of her arms she snapped the belt that had kept her tied to the headboard and leapt onto Aymeric, throwing them both off the bed and onto the ground as she landed on top of him, a part of his belt still wrapped around one wrist as she slammed his hands down above his head. Her thighs were either side of his own and she hovered above his rock hard cock with a devilish grin of her own.

“Gladly.” She responded to his previous exclamation, and pierced herself down onto his shaft with a loud wail of pleasure as she felt herself let go and come over his cock at the feeling of that intense stretch once more. Aymeric gasped below her as he felt her flutter and throb around him, his eyes rolling back into his head in bliss even as she screamed as her pleasure finally released after so long, after so much tension and denial. The stars that danced behind her eyelids echoed the clear sky in the windows ahead of them, and for a minute all she could feel was the sensations coursing through her body, shuddering and shaking on his cock as each muscle in her body relaxed in response to the explosive liberation of her rapture.

“Five days…” He groaned as she slowly but unflinchingly hilted him into her until their pelvises touched, both gasping in ecstasy.

“Too long…” Finks agreed as she finally made eye contact with him again, and they both smiled even as their eyes burned in desire for each other.

“Plenty of time to make up for, and I intend to do so at every available opportunity.” Aymeric replied with a smirk as she let go of his arms, only for him to reach up and gently stroke her face.

“Just shut up and fuck me already.” Finks responded, although the smile on her face belied the sharpness of her words and Aymeric grinned in turn as he flipped them over on the polished wooden floor until he lay on top of her, still buried to the hilt inside of her.

“As my lady wishes.” He smirked, leaning down to capture her lips with his briefly before he then started to thrust into her with full deep thrusts, each one forcing the air from her lungs and leaving her gasping for breath. Locking her ankles around his waist, she pushed her hips up in time with his thrusts, both of them groaning every time he hilted in her. Finks could feel herself getting close again; even after her explosive release as she had finally felt his thick cock stretch her out, the near constant state of arousal that he had kept her in had left her aching for more, ever more. That previous, gloriously awaited orgasm only served to heighten her need, greedy for all that she could take from his body and as she felt herself getting closer and closer, she squeezed her eyes shut only to feel him still his thrusts within her.

“Open your eyes, Finks, look at me. I want to see your face as you come on my cock.” He whispered, his voice strained with holding himself back as she looked up at him with surprise. Desperate adulation and need was written all over his face, and Finks gasped as he started to move again, long slow steady strokes that filled her so completely and utterly with every thrust. Fighting against the urge to close her eyes once more, she kept her eyes – glassy with desire – on his and the intense eye contact only served to push her closer to her end as she felt herself throb and shudder around him.

“Gods, I’m so close again.” Finks whined, her eyelids fluttering involuntarily as she forced them to stay open and his eyes darkened even further, a sly grin crossing his lips at her admission.

“Come on me, Finks. Let me feel you, _please_.” Aymeric begged, his voice low, as he pushed into her with more force as he felt her start to come undone beneath him. With that impassioned plea, Finks felt herself flung over the cliff of her pleasure once more, toes curling as her body tensed in his grip, spasming around his cock and screaming her pleasure as he hissed in ecstasy at the feeling of her orgasm surrounding him.

“Fuck, I love seeing you like that. You’re so beautiful when you come.” Aymeric whispered into her ear as she relaxed once more in his grip, and she moaned and twitched at his words, a soft smile spreading across her lips.

“Thought you said you were going to fuck me until my legs gave out.” Finks murmured, her eyes glinting mischievously as Aymeric had paused his thrusting, still hard inside her, to allow her to come down after her orgasm. He growled as she taunted him cheekily, and then she gasped as he pulled her to his chest and stood up with surprising ease, his hard cock still piercing her wet and thoroughly pleasured cunt as her legs wrapped around his waist to anchor her in place.

“Who said I was finished with you?” Aymeric grunted and carried her over one of the large windows. Finks gasped as he pressed her against the cool glass, surprisingly nice against her sweat soaked back after their intense activities, and then she gasped again as he started to thrust into her once more. She grabbed his shoulders, bracing herself between him and the window as he started to fuck her with wild abandon, grunting with every hard thrust as he pushed her against the window again and again, his gorgeous face illuminated by the light from the moons and stars, shrouding his blissful expression in silver and shadow.

“Do you like knowing that anyone driving past this window can see you, legs wide open and pressed against the glass as you’re being fucked so thoroughly?” Aymeric growled between thrusts, his eyes glowing with lust as he continued to pound into her. She heard him hiss as her fingernails dug into the flesh of his shoulders at his words, almost drawing blood, and she couldn’t help but wail in agreement as she could do nothing but accept his massive cock thrusting into her over and over, pulling her closer to yet another mind-shattering orgasm.

“Aymeric, please, gods…” Finks moaned and he immediately looked into her eyes, sweat dripping down his face as he watched the play of ecstasy she was unable to hide from drifting across her face.

“Yes, anything.” He immediately answered, and then chuckled and thrust into her hard at her resulting satisfied grin at his unthinking reaction.

“You beg so very beautifully, it wrecks my mind every time.” He moaned in explanation and this time it was Finks’ turn to chuckle in response before she reached up and grabbed his jaw, pulling his face to hers. She kissed him passionately, bruisingly, her tongue entwining around his briefly before pulling away with his bottom lip caught between her teeth, sucking for a brief second before she let it go as he hissed in pleasure.

“In that case, _please_ Aymeric, _fuck me harder_.” Finks moaned with a wicked expression on her face, her lips still so close to his own, and he growled in response, swiftly pulling her close once more and carrying her over to the bed, where he exited her with a soft moan and then pushed her down and over onto her hands and knees. He then immediately plunged back into her and Finks howled at being filled so utterly and completely once more.

“Yes, like this, _please make me scream_.” Finks gasped, only to hear Aymeric grunt in reply, his hard and unsteady breaths and the sharp snap of his hips belying louder than words the effect she was having on him, and how perilously close to finishing he was.

“Tell me how much you want me.” He said, his voice rough and low, but Finks could hear the slight note of imploring desperation in his tone.

“I want you Aymeric, oh Gods how I want you, fuck me, fill me; _I need you_ , _please_.” Finks panted, and even as his hips snapped into her with such force that it brought her to the brink once more, she heard his desperate ecstatic groan at hearing her words spill from her mouth.

“Fuck! Fury, I need you too Finks, so much, I can’t… _fuck_!” He muttered and then she was shuddering and trembling around his cock once more as she screamed his name and came again. He erratically thrust and then hilted into her and shouted his own blissful completion, both falling into a breathless pile on the bed, limbs entwined, chests heaving and unable to do anything other than try to recover their breath and calm their heavily beating hearts.

“That was… Fury, Finks, I honestly don’t know how I coped over the last five days. I just want you so much, I think I’m fallin–” Aymeric started, breathless still, but then hesitated at the sudden wary look that flashed across her face. He turned his head away and bit his lip before he turned back and his arms tightened around her body. He smiled warmly at her, eyes once more that deep blue that she found so fascinating and alluring.

“Sorry, that good enough for you?” He finally asked calmly and with a hint of mischief in his tone, and Finks smiled back and nodded, grateful that… just grateful. She didn’t want to think about his tone just then, or what his words may have been. She may have been able to accept that they were together, good together even, but any more than that… she didn’t want to run again, she didn’t want to _have to_ run again.

“Thank you, Aymeric.” Finks whispered and he tensed around her and then relaxed as he sighed into her hair as he pulled her close. The hint of regret in his voice made her heart ache to hear it, and in lieu of being able to reassure him, she simply pulled herself closer, her head against his chest and her arms tight around his torso.

“Anytime.” He replied softly and they lay in each other’s arms, Finks listening to their hearts beating in tandem as she found herself dozing off in his warm embrace. Everything else could wait until tomorrow. Tonight, she had all she needed.


	26. Way Down We Go

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> CW: Explicit Language, Kissing, Kidnapping, Threats of Violence
> 
> Okay, hold on your hats folks, this one gets dark, and the next chapter even more so. Keep an eye on the tags and feel free to step out if its going to disturb you. Please, take care of yourselves <3
> 
> Psst... hey you, yeah you... wanna join an amazing server full of inspiring and enabling peeps? Then come join us at [Emet-Selch's Wholesomely Debauched and Enabling Book Club](https://discord.gg/jcgKuYs)
> 
> Hey! Also, so... err... if you're interested in possibly, potentially, peripherally reading any of my original work then you can find it [here](https://www.wattpad.com/user/Finksalion). Thank you for your support! <3

The sun shone brightly through the large floor to ceiling windows the next morning as Finks awoke, and she groaned and put her head under a nearby pillow to stop the rays from exacerbating her alcohol induced headache. If she were truly honest with herself she would admit that it probably wasn’t all alcohol induced, and the deep ache between her thighs at the memory of the night before caused a wide grin to spread across her face. While their activities may not have tested Aymeric’s stamina enhancements to the extent that their first night had, the intensity of last night was on another level entirely, and Finks couldn’t help but admit that he was probably the most skilled and satisfying lover she had ever had.

Finally, after too long of having denied it, she had to admit that the connection between them was special, uniquely theirs, and something that she could not avoid any longer. She didn’t know what it meant for her, for them, for her oath, but she realised that she needed Aymeric – no, more than that – she _wanted_ him. Even as her brain desperately tried to sort through the consequences of this attachment, she couldn’t help but smile at the warm feeling in her chest at the thought of ‘ _them_ ’, and she threw the pillow off of her face, basking in the warmth of the sun as it touched her bare skin.

After a few minutes of relaxing in Aymeric’s luxurious bed, aching and sore but satisfied to her very soul, she wondered briefly where Aymeric was and then realised that she could hear sounds emanating from the living room, as well as the delicious smell of frying bacon wafting through the door. Her legs protested as she finally got out of the bed, but her stomach overruled her limbs, growling loudly at the thought of food.

Chuckling to herself as she realised that half of Aymeric’s belt was still wrapped around her wrist, she finally undid the leather from her wrist and threw it to the side, smiling fondly. Not wanting to put her dress back on, she instead just grabbed Aymeric’s shirt from the night before and slipped it on, the hem of the shirt coming to her knees and the top slipping off her shoulder as she buttoned up part of the shirt and rolled the sleeves up so she looked a little less like a child playing dress-up in their parents wardrobe. Without even thinking about it, she grabbed her obsidian dagger, buckling the sheathed knife back around her upper thigh by its strap as she strolled out of the bedroom, letting the smell of bacon lead her.

Walking through to the kitchen area, she could see Aymeric by the stove, chest bare and a pair of loose jogging bottoms on as he deftly fried a few more slices of bacon. Not able to resist, Finks walked up behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist, pressing her lips to his warm, muscular back.

“Mmm… Frying bacon without a top on and you call me reckless.” Finks murmured and she felt his broad back muscles twitch under her lips as he chuckled in response. Turning the stove off and moving the pan to one side, he turned around and embraced her, leaning down for a deep kiss before releasing her and eyeing up her choice of attire.

“I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that it looks better on you than it did on me but Fury, Finks, you wearing my clothes somehow turns me on so much.” Aymeric breathed, and then embraced her again, this time his hands curling around her waist as he hoisted her onto the island counter opposite the stove, stepping between her legs as his hands roved along her sides, feeling her body through the soft cotton of his shirt.

“Why do I get the feeling that anything I do will turn you on at this point?” Finks murmured, laughing as he continued exploring her body, his mouth nuzzling at her neck as she stroked up and down his muscled arms and broad chest, marvelling at the torsion and strength he held in his body.

“Guilty as charged.” He replied wryly, continuing to kiss along her collarbone as he slipped the shirt off her shoulder completely so he could get better access, and Finks could feel the curve of his smile as he traced his tongue along her skin.

“Sorry about your belt by the way, I’ll buy you a new one.” Finks muttered even as she tilted her head to give him more access to her neck, running one hand through his silken hair and pulling it slightly as he nipped at her neck and then kissed up her jaw.

“It’s no bother, it died serving a worthy cause.” Aymeric replied between kisses, and Finks laughed once more before she pulled him away and looked at him with smouldering eyes.

“Hey none of that, you need to feed me first.” Finks tutted, giving him a cheeky wink and he pulled back, his eyes still gloriously dark and his lips slightly pouty.

“I’m hungry too, though.” He said roughly, pulling her close again and catching her lips in his own for another passionate kiss that she felt deep in the pit of her stomach.

“Then eat something.” Finks moaned, smirking, as they broke apart once more. Aymeric’s grin was positively sinful as he lay her down on the counter and started to undo the upper buttons on her shirt, kissing his way down her neck once more before they both were suddenly distracted by the sound of a loud engine outside of the window.

Turning to face the window, both Finks and Aymeric’s eyes widened before Aymeric pulled her off the counter and ducked them both behind it, sheltering her body against the loud blast and shards of glass that flew inwards as the world around them exploded with gunfire, every window blasted inwards by the hail of bullets, destroying all in its path. The gunfire settled down and the helicopter from which the attack had emanated continued to hover by the destroyed windows, the wind generated from its rotor blades whipping debris around the room as they were deafened by the sound of the engine.

Finks and Aymeric looked at each other in shock before they both tensed and started to make a run for the main entrance as several men dressed in black fatigues dropped down from the helicopters with assault rifles in their hands. However, before they even managed to get to the elevator that led down to the ground floor of his apartment building, several more men burst through the door, and soon they were surrounded, both raising their hands reluctantly as several large guns were pointed at them.

“Well, this morning took an unexpected turn.” Aymeric murmured, and Finks couldn’t help but hum in agreement. Looking at each other ruefully, they could do nothing but let the soldiers bind their hands and lead them out of Aymeric’s ruined apartment before they were blindfolded and shoved into a waiting car.

“Durendaire?” Finks whispered as the car smoothly pulled away from the building, feeling Aymeric’s leg against her bare thigh, and she felt him lean a little closer to her.

“I’d imagine so. Too well equipped to be Dzemael.” Aymeric murmured back, but before she could ask another question she heard a grunt from Aymeric and he jostled against her as it seemed that he had taken a blow of some kind.

“No talking!” A soldier shouted, and she felt Aymeric ease off her as he straightened himself with a frustrated sigh. His bound hands reached out to find her own, sitting in her lap, and they sat there with entwined fingers as the car drove them to wherever their destination would prove to be.

They were driven around for a further 15 – 20 minutes, and try as she might, Finks was unable to trace their path behind their blindfold. So when the car eventually stopped and they were ushered out of the vehicle and directed to walk for a further 5 minutes, she had absolutely no idea where in the city they were – if they were even in the city anymore. She had to assume that they were still in the Pillars as she hadn’t heard the electric buzz of the hard light barriers that separated the Pillars from the Foundation, but other than that they were now indoors, she had no idea.

Blinking rapidly as her blindfold was pulled off, the bright lights of the large computer-filled room blinded her for a second before she could take in her surroundings. She was still with Aymeric, and they seemed to have been placed within a large glass cage that had been sunk into the floor of this room, the top open with a large railing around it. Several people around the railings were either observing the couple or were busy typing away at nearby consoles. Standing at the centre of the railings was someone Finks recognised, and she inhaled sharply as she heard Aymeric hiss in displeasure as he also looked up.

“Tedalgrinche.” He growled, his hands forming fists as he looked up at the blonde CTO of Dzemael Applied Sciences with hatred shining in his usually calm blue eyes.

“So nice to see you again, Detective. I do hope you both enjoyed my little soiree last night. I heard some very interesting things about what you two got up to.” Tedalgrinche smiled smugly, looking over to one of his guards, the security guard from last night, who gave Finks a leery look as he shifted his gun in his grip.

“And given your attire, I can only imagine that your fun continued after you were removed from my premises.” Tedalgrinche continued, eyeing up Finks lasciviously. Still dressed only in Aymeric’s shirt – a little ripped and worse for wear after the helicopter’s attack, she crossed her arms and glared at him, only for him to laugh at her expression of futile defiance. Watching that gaze, Aymeric growled and stepped in front of Finks, shielding her from view, his glare frosty.

“Fuck you, Tedalgrinche. What do you want?” Finks snarled, and the blonde laughed again, although the wide smile didn’t touch his light blue eyes, which glittered with hatred.

“I’m glad, truly, that you got to have some fun last night. The Fury knows that you’re not going to get much of a chance after our little experiment today.” Tedalgrinche then said, directing himself to Aymeric, as if Finks wasn’t worth talking to any more.

“What are you after by bringing us here, Tedalgrinche?” Aymeric asked coolly, still shielding Finks, their hands still bound as they both looked around their enclosure for any weaknesses or exploits to use to get them out of this situation.

“You’re both becoming an inconvenience, digging around where you’re not wanted and then showing up my gala and causing a scene. It was all going so smoothly, and then you both had to catch wind of it and get in the way. Now I have Knights sniffing after my work, and my _investors_ are not happy at the attention.” Tedalgrinche snapped, irritated, and then smirked once more. “But, I’m always looking for more lab rats for my project, so maybe it’s not all bad.” He finished, smiling wickedly as a guard stepped up to the railing, a dart gun held loosely in his hands. Finks’ eyes narrowed as she viewed the dart gun, the contents of the dart looking suspiciously familiar to her.

“Such a pity, really, that the Bastard Detective of HeavensWard managed to accidentally stab himself with some of this black market serum that one of those terrible unscrupulous underground labs in the Brume has created. Almost enough to make you want to demolish that whole disgusting unwanted tier of the city. And this poor woman – this innocent bystander – was killed by the Knight before he could stop himself. So tragic really, what an end to the tale of the Noble Bastard and his little whore.” Tedalgrinche smirked, and then nodded at the guard, who raised the gun and shot directly at Aymeric.

“NO!” Finks screamed but before she could push Aymeric out of the way, she could see the dart embed itself in his neck and his eyes widened in horror as the dart released the red fluid into Aymeric’s bloodstream, and he started to shudder and convulse as he fell to the floor before Fink's horrified gaze.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so I actually wrote this and the next chapter as one chapter, but it kind of got unwieldly so I split it in two, hence the quick publications of both of these chapters back to back. Lucky you? Or maybe not, given the contents of these chapters... Sorry for any distress and take care of yourselves! <3


	27. Thick Iron Fog

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> CW: Explicit Language, Explicit Violence, Blood, Strangulation, Shapeshifting/Bodily Transformation, Self-Hatred, Guilt, Thoughts of Feral Violence
> 
> Hooboy, yeah watch the tags for this one, it gets dark and violent. Skip it if needed, and please take care of yourselves <3
> 
> Psst... hey you, yeah you... wanna join an amazing server full of inspiring and enabling peeps? Then come join us at [Emet-Selch's Wholesomely Debauched and Enabling Book Club](https://discord.gg/jcgKuYs)
> 
> Hey! Also, so... err... if you're interested in possibly, potentially, peripherally reading any of my original work then you can find it [here](https://www.wattpad.com/user/Finksalion). Thank you for your support! <3

“WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU DO?” She screamed at Tedalgrinche even as she backed away from Aymeric, his muscles straining and popping as his anatomy was rearranged before her very eyes. He screamed once in agony as his spine grew and cracked and stretched forward, the binds around his wrists snapping as his arms grew to monstrous proportions, his trousers tearing away from thick scaly legs and his face distorting into that of a muzzled dragon, those intensely blue eyes remaining the only thing that could connect this beast before her to the man she once knew.

“If it makes you feel any better dear, it’ll be over in 15 minutes – if you even last that long.” Tedalgrinche smirked and then turned away and started to bark at his minions. “Gather as much data as you can, the rest of you can transfer the remains of her body and our dear Detective to ground zero once he’s finished with her. Dart him again if you must but be careful, we agreed that we wouldn’t kill _him_.” With a single smirk back at Finks, he strolled away with a contingent of guards wheeling boxes of what Finks presumed was more of the serum behind him, even as a large red countdown of 15 minutes started playing on a nearby monitor, somehow linked to the transformation.

“ _I’m going to fucking kill you_.” Finks snarled at him through gritted teeth, anger blazing in her green eyes and he laughed in response, not even bothering to look back.

“No, you won’t. You’ll die here, at the hands of your bastard lover, and he’ll live with your death on his hands for the rest of his tragically long life.” Tedalgrinche smirked, before waving lightly and walking out of the room as the white-coated scientists started to bustle around the consoles, setting monitors and cameras up on the enclosure. Finks watched him leave with fire in her eyes, her knuckles white with the force of the fists she made in her rage.

It was then that a low growl emerged from across the enclosure, and Finks turned to face the beast that had been Aymeric, her heart in her throat as she looked up at the now 20 foot tall monster before her with those stunning blue eyes staring at her with no recognition, nothing other than murderous intent within them.

“Aymeric…” Finks whispered, her eyes blurring with tears, before she reached down with her bound hands and grabbed the obsidian dagger from her thigh where it had – luckily – not been spotted or taken from her so far. Cutting through the binds around her wrists awkwardly, she stepped back and started to wearily circle the enclosure, keeping as much distance between her and the snarling beast before her as she could.

“I don’t want to hurt you. Please Aymeric, you can fight this!” Finks begged, gripping the knife in one hand to defend herself and warily watching as he stalked her, another low growl ripping its way out of his throat. She tensed as he slashed towards her with sharp claws, ducking under his arm and darting to the other side of the enclosure. He roared in frustration and turned and slashed forward again, Finks once again ducking but barely this time. He was fast – faster than the others had been maybe – and she soon found herself panting with the effort of dodging his continued slashes.

She glanced at the timer, 11:51, and then at the guard with the dart gun who was watching the proceedings while he loaded another dart into the gun.

“Fuck! Aymeric, please, hold on...” She cursed, looking at him pleadingly even as she knew it was hopeless. The serum lasted 15 minutes, and no amount of willpower could change that. She wasn’t sure she could hold out against him for another 11 minutes with only a small dagger for defence, and she was candid enough with herself to admit that she really didn’t want to hurt him at all, even in this form. The beast that was Aymeric growled at her, stalking forward slowly, warily, as she gripped the dagger tighter in her hand. Another dodge, another near miss, and she was across the enclosure, gritting her teeth and breathing heavily.

“Remember who you are – you’re a Knight! You fight for good, you don’t want to kill me!” Finks screamed at him, even as he roared in her face and charged, and Finks would have dodged this one too, were it not for the fact that his claw caught on the back of the overly baggy shirt and pulled her off balance. Before she knew it, she was thrown across the floor of the enclosure, a large rent in the back of her shirt and dazed slightly by the impact.

As Aymeric approached her with what seemed to be a smile on his giant maw and hard cold blue eyes, Finks gasped and scrabbled away, unable to find her footing and bring herself to her feet in time before the beast wrapped its giant clawed hand around her torso and lifted her up to slam her against the glass wall of their cage.

“I’m sorry, Aymeric.” She said regretfully and then slammed her knife into his forearm as far as it would go, wincing as she did. The beast roared, but didn’t let go of her as she would have hoped, and her eyes widened as he pulled the dagger from his arm and threw it to the other side of the enclosure even as his grip tightened on her body, the tips of his claws piercing through shirt and skin with equal ease. Blood poured from his arm as Finks scratched and hit at him as hard as she could, but it proved fruitless as his grip held, and she saw small spots of blood forming against the cotton where his talons pierced her, holding her in place.

The beast leant in as she was pinned against the wall, and she couldn’t help but whimper as she felt him sniffing against her hair, the snorts from this beast ruffling turquoise strands in a distorted echo of their previous intimacy as his other clawed hand came up around her upper arms and chest, thick thumb and forefinger wrapping easily around her neck as he continued to sniff at her as if confused by her scent.

“Gods, Aymeric, please… change back, I don’t know what else to do.” Finks whispered, almost sobbing in her desperation as she felt the beast tighten his grip around her neck slightly. She looked over to the monitor to see 6:14 still remaining on the serum, and her heart sunk. It hadn’t been enough, she hadn’t held him off for anywhere near long enough, and now he was going to have to live with her death on his hands.

The monster that was Aymeric sniffed once more and then she locked eyes with the beast, those blue eyes that she had adored so much staring at her as she felt his grip tighten around her throat and her view became dark around the edges as she struggled to breathe. She could hear some sort of commotion in the main room above them, but didn’t have the will to pay attention, her eyes focused wholly on Aymeric’s as she felt her lungs scream for air.

“Aymeric… Don’t do this, I need you… I love you…” She whispered, and she felt sure that she saw those blue eyes widen for a fraction of a second before darkness overtook her and she fell limp in his hands.

* * *

He felt like he was drowning, his limbs heavy and not under his control and his view was obscured by a veil of red – as if he was watching a bad copy of a movie that had been soaked in red dye – making everything murky and difficult to see. Struggling to maintain a sense of self amongst the thick fog that surrounded him, he wracked his brains for how he had ended up here, who he was, what this squirmy blue haired thing in front of him was.

Part of him saw this meat in front of him and wanted to rip and tear and rend. It felt natural, predator and prey, and he felt his body reacting instinctively to the quarry, hunting with glee. But something else… something else was telling him, screaming at him to stay his hand. As he finally managed to get his hands on the prey, he reached up to choke the life out of it only to catch a familiar scent. What was that? It tickled at his memories, bringing a warmth to the pit of his stomach and lower – to his loins. This… mate? He shook his head to rid it of these ridiculous notions. This thing, this meat, was not of his kind, it was prey, quarry, to be ripped apart and consumed… and yet, and yet…

It chirped at him, continued to throw pretty sounds at him, and those sounds were confusing and frustrating. He recognised them, they meant something, but in this haze he couldn’t understand what this thing was trying to say, and it irked him. Prey shouldn’t be so loud or so difficult, nor so painful, he thought as the meat thrust something sharp into his arm, drawing blood. He roared and threw the painful thorn aside, instead reaching up to grasp its throat. That smell though, so intoxicating, and he leant forward and breathed it in – such a delightfully overwhelming scent – even as his fingers started to squeeze around this troublesome quarry.

“… love you…” An understandable sound amongst the chirps, and one that set his heart pounding as his eyes widened in understanding, and just like that the fog disappeared and he screamed in pain as his mind and body came back to him, his muscles and bones contracting and shifting back into the form of a man, feeling like he was being ripped asunder as the last 15 minutes suddenly made sense to him once again.

Gods the pain, it was too much, and he grasped his head, dropping his prey – no, not prey, a human – as he roared again in agony. It was too much, he was going to die, and he shuddered as he felt bones rip and then re-knit together, muscles exploding only to reform, and he dropped, naked, to the floor, curled in a ball as he whimpered at the residual pain stuttering across his body in the wake of the violent transformation. Dimly aware of chaos ensuing above him, he could think of only one thing, and he crawled over to Finks, lying still near his feet.

“Oh Fury, fuck, no…” He whispered, pulling her into his arms and flinching at the slashes across her side, the dark bruises around her throat. He pulled her body to his chest and hugged her tight, tears falling from his eyes as he desperately felt for a pulse.

“Please, oh please, I didn’t mean –” He begged and then sobbed in relief as he felt a thin, fluttering pulse at her wrist, slowly growing stronger now the pressure on her throat had been removed. Pulling her closer into his arms with infinite gentleness, he rocked her back and forth, crying brokenly as he remembered what he had done, what he nearly did, wailing like a child and unwilling to let her go even when he heard the unmistakeable sounds of his friends, Estinien and Haurchefant approaching. How and when they had gotten here he had no idea, but he held her closer and snarled at Haurchefant as he tried to remove Finks from Aymeric’s grasp.

“Aymeric…” Estinien said softly, insistently, in his deep voice, but Aymeric still refused to give her up, shaking his head violently, still unable to form words in the throes of his despair. Then, a different voice reached his ears, one that – while rough and hoarse – was all he ever wanted to hear again.

“Aymeric…” Finks whispered from his arms, coughing and swallowing in pain as she then reached up and brushed his cheek lightly. Her face was soft and gentle and held no blame, and fresh tears fell from his eyes at that compassionate smile. This wasn’t right, he wasn’t deserving of this, he…

“Shh… It’s okay, you’re okay, you came back to me.” Finks interrupted him, as if she could read his tormented thoughts. He shook his head, his own hand reaching up to enclose hers as she continued to stroke his cheek.

“I didn’t. I’m sorry, so sorry... The serum–”

“–still had 5 minutes left to go. _You_ came back to me.” Finks interrupted again, and he looked up at her sharply, eyes wide and she nodded, pointing with a shaky hand to the monitor, stopped at 5:23. She smiled once more as he looked down at her, guilt and shock and pain still wracking his body, and he pulled her close once more as she closed her eyes and sighed, once more falling unconscious in his arms, her hand still resting against his cheek.

“I love you.” He whispered into her ear, nuzzling against her hair softly before he finally let her go, passing her to Haurchefant for immediate medical attention before he sat back against the glass wall and watched his friends – and a group who he assumed were the Scions – take out the remaining guards and gather what information they could from consoles and people. His eyes, however, kept darting back to Finks and he flinched when he saw the extent of her wounds and bruises and cuts, curling in on himself a little more as his guilt threatened to overwhelm him utterly.


	28. Pop It!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> CW: Explicit Language, Allusions to Oral Sex, Vaginal Fingering, Graphic Depictions of Violence, Blood, Gore
> 
> Psst... hey you, yeah you... wanna join an amazing server full of inspiring and enabling peeps? Then come join us at [Emet-Selch's Wholesomely Debauched and Enabling Book Club](https://discord.gg/jcgKuYs)
> 
> Hey! Also, so... err... if you're interested in possibly, potentially, peripherally reading any of my original work then you can find it [here](https://www.wattpad.com/user/Finksalion). Thank you for your support! <3

It was mid-morning as bright sunlight streamed through the large bay windows in Haurchefant’s private chambers within the Silver Fuller and the rays of the sun warmed his bare back as he lay happily entrenched between the thighs of his guest for the evening – a delectable miqo’te woman who had come into the Silver Fuller with some of her friends last night. Luckily for him, she had decided to stay after having been thoroughly charmed by the silver-haired former Knight and owner of the establishment, and he had treated her accordingly after she had provided him with such an honour.

After a strenuous evening full of fun activities he had decided that she needed a bit of pampering and so it was that after he had awoke and showered this morning, he had jumped straight back into the bed and came to rest between her legs, his blue eyes sparkling with delight at the pleasure he was wringing out of the beautiful lady before him. All she could do in return was gaze down in adoration, words having left her after her fourth or fifth orgasm of the morning at the fingers and tongue of this gorgeous, implacable, insistent elezen.

His hair was still damp after his shower, and he wiped the loose strands out of his face as he lifted her arm from the bed; it was floppy, as if boneless. As he let it fall back to the bed she seemed unable to stop it thumping heavily to the silken sheets, the muscles of her body no longer under her control after all of the pleasure he had pulled from her. Haurchefant, however, pursed his lips even as his eyes shined in open mischief and mirth, and he gave her a wink.

“Hmm… it seems like you still have a touch of tension in your little finger, and that will never do.” Haurchefant tutted, his lips twitching as he tried – and failed – to keep that gorgeous wide smile from his face even as she moaned in a combination of anticipation and trepidation.

Just as he dove back down between her legs, however, there was a sudden knock at the door and he tutted in disappointment, leaning back on one elbow and looking up at his guest ruefully. The second knock was more insistent, almost as if the person behind the door knew that he was considered ignoring it as he ran one finger up the slit of the lady before him, drawing a deep groan from her lips as her tail lashed back and forth, finally curling around his wrist and gripping tight.

“Yes?” He finally answered, unable to keep the irritation from his voice, and his second in command, a tall female Roegadyn by the name of Syvinthota, could be heard from the other side.

“That grumpy-ass dragoon’s ‘ere to see yer. Says it’s urgent.” She called through the door, and Haurchefant sighed and looked up at the luscious miqo’te regretfully, drawing his fingers away from her and then leaning up over her body for a soft kiss.

“I truly am sorry to cut this short but it seems I’m being called upon to help a former colleague. Will you ever forgive me, my sweet?” He breathed as he came up from the kiss, and the miqo’te moaned and grinned at him, still bleary-eyed and dazed from all that she had experienced over the last 12 hours.

“’Aurche? Yer coming or should I tell ‘im to bugger off?” Syv called through, knocking for a third time, and the woman beneath him giggled at the look of exasperation on his face.

“Yes, yes, fine, I’ll be out in 10 minutes!” He called out, and then looked back down at the delectable morsel before him, unable to stop himself from giving her another tender kiss.

“You better be, Haurchefant, or I’ll come in there and drag you out by your hair.” Estinien’s voice came growling through the door and Haurchefant chuckled at the response of his irritable friend.

“Well just for that, it’ll be 20 minutes now.” He replied with a smirk, and the miqo’te giggled once more at his mischievous wink even as he swore that he could hear Estinien gnashing his teeth at his response. Expecting a torrent of expletives to be directed towards him, he was surprised and somewhat disconcerted at the silence that greeted him.

“It’s about Finks and Aymeric.” Estinien said through the door, and then he grunted in irritation – although whether it was at Haurchefant or himself, Haurchefant had no idea. “Whatever. You coming?”

Haurchefant’s chest tightened at the dragoon’s words, and several errant and concerning thoughts crossed his mind.

“Sure, I’ll be out as soon as I can.” Haurchefant answered, for once a serious expression on his usually jubilant features. His jaw tensed as he heard a grunt and the thumping sounds of Estinien stomping away, and then he looked down at the pouting miqo’te beneath him.

“Hmmm… Another time, maybe?” He asked, stroking her face with his fingers, and she nodded dreamily in response. Sighing heavily, he rolled off her and stood up, gently tucking the cover over her as she started to fall asleep.

“It’s likely I’ll be gone quite some time so feel free to take advantage of the facilities when you wake, and if you’re ever in the area again, please feel free to _come again_.” He replied softly with a crooked grin on his lips and his smile widened at the amused snort that fell from her mouth at the emphasis he laid on the last two words.

Sighing once more, he quickly dressed himself in a soft grey V-neck t-shirt and black jeans paired with a pair of black sneakers, strapping his leather gun holster across his chest and attaching the folded hard light shield to his belt on one side, and his folded filament blade on the other. Finally, he picked up his Ident gun and slotted it into its custom holster before slipping on a yellow and black leather racer jacket over the top.

Turning from the dresser and noting that the miqo’te was already asleep, he smiled as she snored lightly – obviously worn out – and he walked softly out of his chambers trying not to wake her. As he entered the main hall of the Silver Fuller, Syv directed him to the VIP section with a long suffering sigh and there he found Estinien and – surprisingly – Ysayle. She had a deep cloak pulled around her, but she had pushed the hood down from around her face and she bounced her leg nervously as strands of her silver hair fell across her face, her eyes darting left and right as she considered her surroundings carefully.

“Stop that.” Estinien said, irritated, as he watched her leg bounce, and she just glared at him.

“Make me.” She replied somewhat archly and he grinned at her widely enough that Haurchefant paused on the steps, wondering just what he was walking into.

“Interesting.” He purred as he continued his way up the stairs, and Estinien scowled at him.

“Don’t presume to know my business, Greystone.” Estinien growled and Haurchefant suppressed a chuckle even as Ysayle blushed slightly under his scrutiny.

“I presume that the mission last night didn’t go so well?” Haurchefant asked briskly, getting to business. Estinien and Aymeric had filled him in on the plan yesterday; he may not have been a Knight anymore but he was still close enough to the two of them that he was considered a trusted ally, and they needed a backup in case something went wrong.

“It went fine, actually. Smooth as silk. But we were supposed to meet up today and they didn’t show.” Ysayle said, nervously, and her leg started to bounce once more. Estinien reached over and placed one hand on her knee and it calmed instantly under his touch, even as she frowned at him and swatted his hand away.

“And then there was this.” Estinien continued, ignoring Ysayle’s swipe, as he turned on the monitor at the back of the room. He swiftly switched it to a news channel where it showed a building – Aymeric’s penthouse – torn asunder, a strong wind whipping frayed and burnt curtains through the smashed windows. The newscaster continued to speak of the apparent hit, confirming that there was no news on whether the inhabitant of the apartment was alive, although they neglected to mention who the owner was.

“Fuck!” Haurchefant swore, one hand clenching into a fist as concerned thoughts of his friend intensified.

“How long ago? And what about Finks?” He asked sharply, his usually smiling face suddenly stern and filled with a barely concealed rage.

“Ten minutes or so, we came over as soon as we saw the news, and as far as we know, Finks was there too.” Ysayle confirmed, and Haurchefant swore once more.

“Are they –” He started, a nauseous feeling starting to form him his stomach, but Estinien shook his head vehemently.

“Got a ping from Aymeric about the same time as the explosion, and another one five minutes ago. He’s alive and we think we know where they are due to the results of their mission last night – he uploaded us the file this morning – but we need help. Don’t know how heavily armed the location is.” Estinien clarified, and while his deep voice was calm, Haurchefant had known the dragoon for long enough to see the tempestuous anger and frustration boiling beneath the surface.

“Okay, give me five minutes to drum up some help. You want to let Lucia and Hilda know?” Haurchefant said, grim determination on his usually sunny features, and Estinien nodded and took out his tomestone even as Haurchefant started to call some mutual friends of Finks and himself for aid.

* * *

It was maybe only ten or fifteen minutes later when they had all gathered outside the now not-so-secret laboratories of Dzemael Applied Sciences and Haurchefant pulled out his gun and his hard light shield, checking its status before giving Estinien a nod and then leading the charge into the laboratories, using his shield to cover the others. Focused on his target, he took a shot and then used the mind-enhancement on his gun to curve the bullet towards the surprised guard. Even with the guard’s speed enhancement, he wasn’t able to dodge the skilled shot and Haurchefant sent it straight through his skull, dropping him in an instant. His second bullet, fired before the first had even hit, curved around the falling body as he manipulated the flow of the bullet using the tiny receiver and his linked implant and it landed in the neck of the second guard before he could even cry for help.

“That was some skilled shooting.” Ysayle noted from his side, and he smirked at her. She smirked back and his jaw dropped as she pulled her massive hand-cannon Diamond Dust from her side and blasted it into the face of a fast-approaching guard, blowing his head clean off his shoulders with a loud explosive pop as the rest of the body crumpled to the floor.

“Show off.” Estinien grunted with wry smile at the smug silver-haired Ysayle, and then he surged forward, his enhanced dragoon speed implants blurring his motions as he suddenly took out three guards in quick succession, darting behind one and stabbing them through with his lance, and then taking out two more before they could even react.

“Well it seems that we have some skilled fighters on our side. Best not let them show us up too much, eh?” Thancred smirked from the side, and gave Haurchefant a wink even as he lunged forward and took another guard out with a slash of his heavy gunblade, bouncing off the body to take out another with a slash and a charged shot, blasting the body back down the corridor and into another couple of guards running towards the group.

“Why yer all got t’ be prancing around like that? Shoot straight in the first instance and yer don’ need any o’ that fancy shite.” Hilda called from the back of the group, taking aim and shooting time and again, leaving Lucia to finish off her wounded with vicious thrusts of her long filament blade.

“Not all of us have such a lovely wife to help clean up, you know.” Haurchefant grinned at the half-elezen, only for her to grin back, red eyes wide with vicious enthusiasm.

“We’re wasting time. Everyone get down.” Y’shtola grunted from behind the front row, and tossed an incendiary grenade over their heads before they could even acknowledge her words, all ducking back and throwing themselves on the floor as the wide hallway before them was suddenly wreathed in fire, flames licking up the sides of the walls as a wave of intense heat rolled across them. There was stunned silence as the flames died down, and Y’shtola stood there with a smugly satisfied look on her face.

“A little more warning next time, Y’shtola?” Alphinaud replied acerbically, getting up from the floor and brushing the dirt off his trousers with a small frown and an annoyed tut.

“Hmm, this new formulation was a little stronger than intended, I’ll need to do some more tests in enclosed spaces.” She muttered to herself, tapping her cheek in thought, and then proceeded to step past the charred bodies as she made her way down the now empty corridor. Her tomestone was suddenly out in her palm as she started to make some notes, stopping at bodies here and there and calmly checking the corpses as she passed.

Haurchefant shuddered at her complete lack of concern and then he froze, ice running through his veins as he heard Finks scream unintelligible words from down the hallway. Exchanging a look with Estinien, they both started to run down the hallway, activating their speed enhancements even as Thancred followed close behind, gunblade out and a grim expression on his face.

When Haurchefant eventually burst through the door to the lab, the sight that greeted him was like something out of a nightmare. He was immediately drawn to Finks fighting some beast in an enclosed glass space beneath them as his friends started to take out the guards one by one, even as the others surged in and started to neutralise the scientists running around the room in a panic, trying not to kill them unless absolutely necessary.

His eyes were on the sight before him and as the beast had Finks in its massive claw, Haurchefant immediately readied himself to take a shot. But then his eyes widened in shock and he lowered his gun automatically as the beast started to shudder and shake, turning back into Aymeric before his very eyes in what looked to be a viscerally painful and extreme transformation.

“What the…” He muttered to himself, and then he noticed the guard at the top of the platform overlooking the enclosure, drawing a bead on Aymeric with a dart gun.

“Oh no you fucking don’t.” Haurchefant cried through gritted teeth and ran forward, grabbing the guard’s hand and pulling the gun to one side even as the guard squeezed the trigger, the dart firing harmlessly off into a wall. The guard looked at Haurchefant in surprise even as the silvery haired elezen gave him a tight grin and then snapped his head forward in a hard head butt, following it up with a roundhouse punch that sent the guard crumpling to the floor, unconscious.

“Nicely done.” Estinien said as he walked up behind his friend, and Haurchefant nodded even as he noted that most of the guards had now been taken down and the scientists were rounded up and being tied up and questioned. He heard Estinien’s sharp intake of breath at the view of their friend weeping over the limp body of the turquoise-haired woman and Estinien gave him a nod and jumped down to the enclosure even as Haurchefant cast his eyes around desperately. Finding a first aid kit and ripping it off the wall, he then took the stairs down to the arena two steps at a time as Ysayle deactivated the lock on the door to the enclosure and he rushed to his friends’ aid.

Haurchefant dropped the medical kit to the side as he reached for Finks, but Aymeric snarled and gripped her tighter, his mannerisms almost unrecognisable to Haurchefant. His heart ached for his friend as Finks awoke for a brief second to try and reassure Aymeric, but even as Aymeric eventually relented and passed her once more unconscious body over to him, he could see the haunted brokenness in his eyes, and the guilt that underlay it all.

Trying to push that all aside he started to work on Finks’ body, wrapping her injuries as best he could and checking her over for any internal injuries. Estinien stood by Aymeric, watching him closely with an impassive expression on his face, even though Haurchefant could see the tenseness in his jaw at the pain their friend was going through. The dragoon caught eyes with Haurchefant and he nodded in confirmation.

“She’s going to be okay – most of the injuries are fairly superficial. I imagine the lack of oxygen is to blame for her unconscious state but she should recover easily with some rest.” Haurchefant confirmed, his prior Knight experience as the de facto medic of the team informing his assessment. Estinien nodded, letting out the breath he had been holding while Haurchefant had spoken. Haurchefant continued to check her pulse every few minutes, trying to make her as comfortable as possible, even as the dragoon knelt beside Aymeric, whispering into his ear even as the raven-haired elezen shook his head, eyes still fixed on Finks, as if he didn’t believe what Estinien was telling him.

Haurchefant’s heart broke once more at the look of pure self-loathing on the face of his friend, and – noticing his nakedness now that he had transformed back into himself – he grabbed Alphinaud and set him to watching Finks as he then stood and rooted around the room for some clothes for Aymeric.

He found a lab coat that seemed big enough, and draped it over the detective, and then started to check Aymeric for any injuries, wincing at the still bleeding ragged wound in his arm and treating it as best he could before wrapping it up tightly. It was going to scar, but he suspected that the emotional scars from tonight were going to affect Aymeric much more than this physical scar would.

“Tedalgrinche?” He heard Estinien shout up to the others as Haurchefant continued to treat his friend and Ysayle shook her head, a bitter laugh on her lips as she looked through the copious logs of the research collected here, filling drive after drive with data before setting a virus program running, this time watching to make sure it deleted every single scrap of her research with a steely but satisfied glare in her ice blue eyes.

“He got away. Not sure where he’s going, think it might be somewhere in the Brume.” Finks croaked from where she was now propped up slightly by Alphinaud, who was fussing over her as she strained to sit up, and the others all turned to look at her.

“Oh do stop fussing Alphinaud, I’ll be fine.” She grumbled, her hoarse and cracked voice betraying the extent of her injuries. Her eyes, however, immediately sought out and locked with Aymeric’s, who then flinched and looked away, guilt shining clearly in his eyes. Haurchefant couldn’t help but see the understanding compassion in her face as she looked at Aymeric and as he saw the total lack of any kind of fear in that expression he thought that maybe, just maybe, she’d be able to get through to him where no one else could. Hope started to blossom in his chest, and he took a deep breath and leant back, rubbing the back of his head as he considered the hectic nature of the past hour, suddenly exhausted.

“Hmmm… wonder if that miqo’te is still in my bed?” He asked to no one in particular, only to hear Estinien snort from his side, and he winked at the dragoon with a wide grin. Maybe everything would end up okay today, after all.


	29. Delicate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> CW: Explicit Language, Light Angst, Kissing
> 
> Psst... hey you, yeah you... wanna join an amazing server full of inspiring and enabling peeps? Then come join us at [Emet-Selch's Wholesomely Debauched and Enabling Book Club](https://discord.gg/jcgKuYs)
> 
> Hey! Also, so... err... if you're interested in possibly, potentially, peripherally reading any of my original work then you can find it [here](https://www.wattpad.com/user/Finksalion). Thank you for your support! <3

Finks was exhausted – more than exhausted if she was brutally honest with herself. It hurt to breathe and it felt like fire when she spoke. Every single one of her muscles screamed in agony when she moved and the wounds on her side felt like they would tear open again with every ragged breath she took. It wasn’t going to stop her from moving forward though, she wouldn’t allow it to.

And so it was that she wearily walked up the stairs to her apartment with Aymeric, Thancred and Haurchefant in tow. Aymeric has been silent the entire time they had spoken of the group’s next move: mainly that Finks and Aymeric would rest for the day while the others tried to find out what Tedalgrinche’s next move would be. Ideally they’d be given more time to recover but with the vast quantities of serum that Tedalgrinche had wheeled out of the lab they couldn’t afford such a delay, regardless of their mental or physical capacity, or the recovery thereof.

As soon as she thought of him, her gaze immediately came to rest on the raven-haired elezen. Usually so calm and collected, her heart hurt at seeing him so quiet, wrapped up in his thoughts and with that haunted look in his eyes. Haurchefant led him over the bed and he sat down on the edge, still apparently oblivious to his surroundings, and Finks sighed and sat down next to him with a wince.

“Cup of tea?” Thancred asked, and Finks nodded with a weary smile. He busied himself with the kettle in the kitchen as Haurchefant looked around, horrified.

“Wow, _love_ what you’ve done with the place.” Haurchefant quipped and Finks rolled her eyes, slapping his thigh.

“Fuck off, it’s the same as last time you were here.” She said, her voice still hoarse and her throat burning as she spoke. He grinned in response and tilted his head.

“Exactly. Finks, that was over a year ago. The only thing you seem to have done is collect more wires, and somehow more training dummies have appeared. Do you have some kind of training dummy wormhole nearby or is this just the training dummy graveyard, where all naughty training dummies go to die after being beaten to a pulp by yourself?” He asked with a wink and she laughed briefly before it turned into a racking cough. He immediately knelt by her side, holding her steady as she shuddered with the force of her coughs.

“Sorry.” He said quickly as the coughing fit receded, and Finks looked up and smiled, waving his apology aside and then wiping the tears from her eyes at the intensity of the coughs. Thancred walked over with a large mug of black tea in his hand and frowned slightly at them, thrusting the mug into Finks’ hand even as Haurchefant chuckled ruefully, rubbing the back of his head as he stood back up again.

There was a knock at the back windows, and Finks looked over as she took a sip of the hot tea, rolling her eyes again as Estinien stood there, a large duffel bag swung over his shoulder and Aymeric’s gun and filament blade, sheathed in his belt, hung across his hand. Haurchefant bounded over as Thancred raised an eyebrow.

“What’s wrong with the front door?” He asked as Haurchefant let the dragoon in and Estinien strolled over, dropping the bag on the floor and carefully placing the holstered weapons on the side of Finks’ desk.

“It’s boring.” Estinien replied to Thancred’s question, earning an even higher-raised eyebrow, and Finks chuckled, but then drunk some more tea as Thancred looked at her sternly, gesturing for her to rest her throat.

“I grabbed a bunch of his clothes and his weapons from his apartment. The rest of his place seems relatively untouched apart from the main area, which is pretty wrecked. Not entirely sure how you both survived _that_ , to be honest.” Estinien finished, crossing his arms and looking at both Finks and Aymeric with a touch of admiration in his tone.

“He protected me from most of the blast; we hid behind the counters in the kitchen.” Finks replied, looking over at Aymeric with a small smile on her lips, and reached her hand out to intertwine her fingers with his. He said nothing, giving no indication that he was listening to the conversation, but his fingers did squeeze against hers, once, in response to her touch. That alone gave her some hope and she finished the tea, her throat starting to feel a touch better and then stood up, stretching and wincing at the pain from her movements but determined to work through it.

“Right you lot, thanks for the help but I think we need to be alone for a while to sort some shit out. We’ll catch up with you all tomorrow and yes, I promise to call you all if we need anything.” Finks said in no uncertain terms, Thancred and Haurchefant both grinning at her and Estinien grunting in amusement. Thancred and Haurchefant filed out towards the front door, and Finks snorted as Estinien followed after a brief hesitation.

“The front door, Estinien? I thought you would have preferred the balcony again.” Finks called out after him and he turned and flashed her a wide grin.

“Too predictable.” He replied with a smirk and she laughed lightly in response as he turned and waved his goodbyes, walking down the stairs.

As she heard the front door go, she sighed softly and turned back to Aymeric, still unresponsive although she felt sure that he had taken in their conversation in some measure. She stepped up to face him, running her fingers through his hair and cradling his head in her hands as she pulled him forward so his head rested against her stomach. He didn’t react at first, but then his hands came up tentatively to rest against her thighs, before he then pulled her lower body forward into a crushing hug and she could feel his tears wetting the bottom of her – his, technically – frayed and ripped shirt as he silently sobbed into her body.

She held him tight, stroking his back as she gently massaged his scalp, running her hands through his hair over and over again, waiting for the storm to pass. Eventually, his shuddering shoulders came to rest and he sighed, his grip on her relaxing slightly although he still held her close.

“Finks, I’m so sorry –” He started to apologise as he looked up, his voice hoarse and his expression twisted and filled with regret but she interrupted him, looking down at him and putting a finger to his lips to stop him from spiralling back down.

“I know and its okay, we can talk about it later. However, for now why you don’t go have a shower and get dressed into something more comfortable than that musty old lab coat? Estinien brought you some clothes and your weapons.” Finks replied gently and he swallowed and then nodded once, removing his arms from around her. He rooted around the bag that Estinien had brought, grabbing a t-shirt and a pair of jogging bottoms before heading for the shower, still mostly avoiding her gaze.

When she heard the water turn on, she fell back down onto the bed with a large sigh, cataloguing her own thoughts and feelings about the morning. She wasn’t in the least bit scared or apprehensive of Aymeric, surprisingly. She had met and known real monsters that looked just like normal men, so the fact that Aymeric had turned into a monster before her didn’t seem to matter to her, somehow. Sure, he had been trying to kill her and she didn’t doubt that he very well could have, if he hadn’t somehow managed to pull himself back from the brink. But he had stopped himself, and she was alive, and there didn’t seem to be much else to it in her mind.

Thinking back to her escape from the Garlemald Tech headquarters in Nagxia, so many years ago, she remembered the haze of red that had fallen over her thoughts as she fought her way out, leaving a mountain of bodies in her wake. It was as if she really was a demon, taking no quarter and decimating everything in her path, and even thinking back on the wanton and thoughtless slaughter made her shudder and flinch in guilt, even after all of this time. She knew it wasn’t going to be exactly the same for Aymeric, she could only imagine the pain he was going through, but she had faith that he was stronger than this, that he could overcome this obstacle.

Well, it would do no good to dwell on it overlong, and so she sat back up with a wince and checked her dressings before heading back into the kitchen for another mug of hot tea to soothe her throat as she considered Tedalgrinche’s words before he left that morning. He had mentioned ground zero, and that Aymeric was to be left alive, and something about black market underground labs in the Brume? Shaking her head – too tired to think on it any further – she sent a quick message to Ysayle detailing what she had remembered, and then took another sip of her tea as Aymeric came out of the shower – those bright blue eyes of his still rimmed in red but at least now clean and dressed in his own clothes once more. He looked over to her and managed a quick smile before he looked away – progress of a sort, she thought as she smiled back.

“My turn.” She said, and as she walked past him their hands met and entwined briefly once more, his touch still a little tentative, before she headed off to the shower.

The shower helped immeasurably, the hot water soothing aching muscles and the steam helping with her burning throat. She stayed in there for longer than was probably necessary, luxuriating in the comfort, mind blank and fingertips wrinkling, before regretfully turning off the water and drying herself off. Wrapping the towel around herself, she walked back into the main room and found herself a vest and a pair of shorts, noting that Aymeric was sat out on her crumbling balcony, legs dangling over the edge as he leant on the railings, looking at the waterfall cascading down into the abyss behind her building. Drying her hair quickly with the towel, she dropped it on the floor when she was done and joined him, running her fingers through her damp hair to pull it into some semblance of order. He looked up as she walked out and then turned back to the waterfall as she sat next to him, her legs also dangling out over the abyss.

“How did you even find this place?” He asked, his gaze still fixed on the waterfall in front of them, and Finks shrugged and chuckled in response.

“An old friend used to use it as a base of operations when she was in Neo-Ishgard for the odd occasion. When she told me about my brother being in the city, she also filled me in on the location of this place. It was supposed to be temporary, until I could find somewhere more suitable and less beaten up but, well, I kind of liked it here so I decided to stay.” Finks said, with a small smile of remembrance on her lips at her old Au Ra friend.

“A scion friend?” Aymeric asked, and Finks shook her head.

“Nope, older than that. A friend from Doma.” She clarified, and they continued to watch the waterfall as Finks gave Aymeric the time he needed to organise his thoughts, sensing somehow that the small talk was just a way for him to distract himself from what he truly wanted to ask.

“Why aren’t you afraid of me?” He finally asked, his voice small and shaking slightly. She turned to look at him, one arm on the railing and her head leaning against it, a small smile on her face.

“Should I be?” She asked gently, and he laughed bitterly, more aimed at himself than the situation, she felt.

“I nearly killed you.” He answered quietly, unable to hold her gaze.

“But you didn’t. You overcame what must have been an overwhelming base instinct to kill me, and returned to your own form before you could finish the job.” She replied, reaching out and stroking his cheek softly, ignoring the slight flinch he gave at her soft caress.

“But I only stopped because of you. Because of what you said.” He whispered, still looking away, and her hand paused for a fraction of a second before she then shuffled closer and rested her head on his shoulder, taking one of his hands in hers as she pulled his other arm around her, helping to stave off the cold of sitting outside in a vest and shorts. He squeezed her shoulder as she pulled him closer, sighing shakily, his rich voice full of emotion even with that small exhalation.

“Doesn’t really matter _why_ you stopped in my opinion, only that you did, and before the time limit of the serum elapsed. That’s all that matters to me.” Finks replied firmly, and she heard him take a deep breath at that, before slowly letting it out again.

“Did you mean it?” He asked, even quieter and looking down to where their fingers entwined, stroking his thumb back and forth against her skin, sending tingles up her arm. She knew what he was talking about, how could she not? It was hard though, to still admit the affection – no, love – that she felt for him, and he took her hesitation as a lack, starting to draw his hand away from hers with a shuddering breath full of pain. Before he could slip away any further, however, she gripped his hand harder and used her other hand to turn his face to hers, so she was looking directly into his unsure and hurting eyes.

“It’s hard for me, to admit to it. So many people who I loved have died, and it honestly scares me more than anything else in this gods-forsaken world. I… I’m not very good at this kind of thing, I’m probably going to be irritable and not very romantic, and I’m probably going to try and run more than once, but yes, yes I meant it. I love you, Aymeric.” She declared honestly, trying to pour all of her feelings into her voice and she watched as his eyes widened in shock before softening into liquid pools of blue brilliance, their depths vast and filled with emotion.

“I love you too Finks, so much.” He whispered in reply, cupping her face in one hand and pulling her in for a gentle, passionate kiss. It was a kiss filled with hope for their cracked relationship, golden seams shining brilliantly and binding together the broken lines of sharp sorrow that threatened to split them apart. They had overcome it all, this delicate kiss proof of their triumph, their love tempered in the fires of adversity to be forged anew, stronger than ever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so yeah I know, two updates last week and then two updates this week, I do apologise for the erratic updates <3
> 
> It's just... it's getting close to the end and it's really difficult for me to contain my excitement... I'll try to go slower for the next few updates but honestly, it might just be a two per week thing until the end, depending on how well I can contain myself (spoilers: I am not very good at containing myself). Love you all and thank you so so much for all of your support <3


End file.
